Art for the Complicated
by SymphonicMetalChocobos
Summary: Xigbar's an artist looking for a muse, and he finds it in a blond, Roxas, who brings him to life. A relationship starts when Roxas' home life worsens but that's just the beginning. A bad teacher, a delinquent, painful memories... it's complicated. XigRoku
1. First Meeting

Xigbar yawned as he strolled through the trees of Twilight Park, single golden orb glancing at large maple trees with bright green leaves, from emerald to sage, and all in between, sounds of playing children and dogs filling his pointed ears as his boots thumped along the grass and dry ground. He gripped his blue sketch book a little tighter and kept his orange messenger bag close so he didn't get it caught on a bush. Ducking under trees, and finally he was in front his favorite spot where he got an amazing view of the lake, and summer was the perfect time to draw the lake; there were plenty of lizards and frogs, ducks, fish, and the scenery was just right for a drawing. Most residents didn't know that the lake trailed through the forest and into another small lake, most of the river being underground, though the second lake lead to the ocean outside Twilight Town. He...he had been drawing his whole life... painting and sketching, all day and all night when he could. He could draw and paint animals, fantasy creatures, in vibrant colors and extreme attention to detail, but most of all... he loved to paint and draw people: faces, still, and in motion. Every time he suffered in his life, drawing was what he used so he didn't have to talk. Unfortunately... he hadn't been able to draw anything good months.. Every time he drew, it ended in failure with him scribbling over it in frustration... He hated to admit it, but he needed a muse.. Someone who could truly inspire him.

He gave a sigh as he walked up to the lake, setting his sketch book on a nearby rock before he stretched. Fish sped away when his shadow came close and a frog croaked before hopping in the water, and then he spotted a blue and purple lizard with a red underbelly sunning itself on a rock in the water. Xigbar quietly sat his messenger bag down and grabbed a pencil from it and his sketch book, sitting close to the rock, but it close enough so that the lizard wouldn't be spooked and slip away. He took his pencil and began to sketch the lizard, and as if it wanted to be sketched, it turned it's brightly colored head his way and Xigbar smirked to himself, tongue stuck out as he concentrated deeply. A cool breeze blew through the area and his long ponytail tickled his back, the only sounds being birds, distant children, and the furious scratching of a pencil. Xigbar was halfway through the sketch, having finished the base sketch and started the details, when there was a soft rustling beneath him and muted footsteps, but he was too deeply engrossed to notice them, even with his good hearing.

The lizard saw the approaching figure with beady eyes and it darted away into the woods, much to Xigbar's dismay.

"Hey, what the hell, you scared 'im away.." Xigbar shouted and whirled around, but the second he saw the teenager approaching him, his pointed eyebrows raised at the small male who gripped a sketchbook underneath his right arm and holding a white and silver backpack. The teenager looked shocked, then his expression changed into a scowl, but he still approached Xigbar with hesitant steps. Xigbar didn't make a move. The kid had to be the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his entire twenty seven years of life... Bright, honey golden hair akin to fresh baked buns, each strand blending into the other perfectly, and lively sapphire orbs that seemed to be home to every shade of blue and filled to the brim with emotion. He was dressed in simple blue jeans and a blue t-shirt. The teenager's skin was pale but softly tanned, and every feature looked was pure, unspoiled perfection... Xigbar was in awe.

"Hey.. um, sorry about that.. I didn't know you were here." The teenager said as he walked to his right, sitting down on a tree stump a few feet away from where Xigbar sat, setting the bag next to the stump."So... why are you here?"

"'s cool, kid." Xigbar chuckled, setting his sketch book on the soft grass."I always come here. Pretty nice here and no people to bother ya. Oh, yeah, name's Xigbar."

"Roxas- I'm Roxas." Roxas... that was his name. A beautiful name for a even more beautiful boy. Roxas looked over and upon closer inspection, saw Xigbar's sketchbook, then the messenger bag, and he put it together. "You draw too?"

"Yeah, been drawin' for all my life, kiddo. You?" Xigbar asked back, turning towards Roxas, smirking. Roxas had noticed it before, but the man.. had a eye patch.. and the biggest scar he had ever seen, even dwarfing the one Hayner had on his knee from a biking accident.. Xigbar was certainly the most interesting man he had ever seen... He had never seen someone with that color eye, he didn't even think it was physically possible... Xigbar's lone eye was bright golden yellow with flecks of yellow intertwining with gold. Xigbar had tan skin from what he could see, the man clothed in a bright green button up shirt splashed with paint of all colors, blue jeans also splattered with paint, white combat boots with all sorts of designs painted onto them, and the oddest hair: midnight black streaked with metallic silver tied in long, waist length ponytail. At first glance, he wouldn't have expected the man to be an artist if he didn't have such paint covered clothes, maybe a construction worker, or a soldier considering the scar and eye patch.

"The same, but I mostly paint. I can see you paint as well," Roxas laughed, smiling and Xigbar couldn't help but grin at the amazing smile.

"Cool name, kid. Paintin's my favorite thing," Xigbar chuckled."Haha, I painted all the walls in my apartment somethin' different."

"That's pretty cool, Xigbar. I haven't done anything big like that, just small things or medium sized canvases." Roxas said, and he kept staring into Xigbar's eye, mesmerized by the intense, interested gaze that almost seemed out of place with the man's bored expression. Xigbar gave a grin, and Roxas watched the large scar stretch in curiosity.

"Awesome. Yer in high school? You look younger than you seem, like.. fourteen, kid."

"Hey!" Roxas exclaimed, scowling with a raised eyebrow."I'm seventeen, not fourteen, old man. And for your information, you look as old as you probably are."

"Touche', little dude. And I ain't old, I'm totally only twenty seven." Xigbar stated, smirking. Roxas was pretty feisty, calling him out, and he liked that.

"Twenty seven? You look at least forty, Xigbar. Are you lying?" Roxas smirked playfully, crossing his arms as his sketch book resting in his lap.

"Nah, I ain't lyin', kiddo. And I don't like like I'm forty." Xigbar outright laughed as he dug around in his pocket, finding his wallet and opening it. He took his driver's license out and tossing it at Roxas, who deftly caught it. Roxas looked over the thin, plastic card with scrupulous eyes, and his eyebrow's raised when he saw the birth date and age on the card. Xigbar was indeed twenty seven, and the license didn't look fake, but then again... he had no idea what a fake looked like. He nodded to himself, and tossed it back.

"Told you so, kid."

"Yeah, yeah..." Roxas huffed through a smile. He could tell the conversation was just about done because it was getting to be a awkward silence. He couldn't think of much to talk about with a completely random stranger than was ten years older than him. He mentally slapped himself in the face: They could talk about art! He wasn't sure why, but he got a good vibe from Xigbar. The man was funny and seemed fun to talk too, unlike most adults... And when Xigbar smiled.. it made him want to smile.

"So...like, what do you like to draw?" Roxas asked, and he swung his legs over the stump like a small child.

"Eh, fantasy stuff like dragons, animals, but I like paintin' people most of all. Haven't been able to draw much recently though," Xigbar chuckled, shrugging.

"Me neither. I've been really busy with school. I mostly draw animals and landscapes, or sometimes my friends if I sketch. I'm not too good with people though unless I'm near them." Roxas grinned.

"I bet. School sucks, haha. Too much work for me. I sketch too, use pastels sometimes and colored pencils when I don't paint." Xigbar said as he shifted, laying down with his fingers clasped behind his head.

"I like pastels as well, Xigbar." Roxas smiled and stretched, yawning.

"Cool, kiddo. So, what type of music do you like, kid?" Xigbar asked out of the blue, leaning up slightly to look at Roxas in interest.

"Well, I like techno, rock, pop, international songs... One of my favorite artists is Utada Hikaru, she did one of my favorites, Sanctuary."

"I like her too, she sounds real nice. I mostly like techno and a bit of rap if it's good."

Roxas didn't respond as he stared at Xigbar who looked at the sky leisurely, before talking again.

"Wanna see some of what I've drawn?" Roxas asked as he caught his sketchbook which had slid off his lap.

"Sure, I'll show ya some of mine too." Xigbar responded, reaching for his messenger bag and opening it. He shoved his current sketchbook in and pulled out one that was noticeably older, with tiny drawings all over the dull green cover, and a small tear in the side. He flipped the cover back and turned to the fourth page, while Roxas turned to the first page of his sketch book, turning the sketchbook around and displaying it. Xigbar stared at the drawing of a tiger intently. It was an amazing piece for the kid's age, the lines were crisp and clear, high attention to detail, and he could see the passion embedded in the art. Roxas' art reminded him of his... detailed and full of so much passion. He hadn't had that much passion in his recent works...

"Woah, that's pretty awesome, kid."

"Thanks, Xigbar!" Roxas gave another of his gorgeous grins.

"No prob, it really is great. Here's one of mine.." Xigbar turned his sketchbook towards Roxas, who immediately gasped in awe. The drawing had to be the most amazing picture he had ever seen. A dragon with such vibrant colors, green and yellow scales which colors blended almost perfectly, intense orange eyes filled with emotion, in a pose that seemed to embody strength itself. It's long tail swept around it's body and its horns almost looked to be real. It was a lot better than he could ever do, but Xigbar was much older than him and must have more experience... He watched as the artist turned the page and he gasped again. The second drawing was of a male who looked a little older him, with bright teal eyes and odd hair that was a cross between a mo-hawk and a mullet. It didn't even look like a drawing, but a photo! Xigbar had true talent.

"Those are amazing, Xigbar! Really! That drawing looks like a photo... Wait a second... That's my music teacher!" Roxas exclaimed, eyebrows raised.

"Thanks. You know Demyx? He's a old friend'a mine,."

"Yeah, he teaches music at my high school, he's a awesome guy."

"He sure is, we used to hand out as teenagers and I talk too him sometimes but I haven't seen him in a while."

"Cool! That instrument of his..."

Roxas hadn't realized how long they had been showing each other their drawings and talking until he finally looked at the horizon, where the sun was setting and the sky was a mix of oranges and pinks, then at his watch before he exclaimed,"Shit, I gotta go!"

He hopped off the tree stump, brushing the back of his blue jeans off. Damn, his parents were going to be all over him... he was almost late for dinner and his parents hadn't been getting along in the last month; he didn't want to cause any trouble for them. He snatched his backpack up and unzipped it, shoving his sketchbook into it and zipping it shut.

"What's up, kiddo? Leavin'?" Xigbar asked, sitting up.

"Yep! My parents are gonna kill me if I'm late," Roxas laughed, slipping his backpack on."I had fun talking to you, Xigbar."

"Yeah, me too, kid. Wanna talk some other time?" Xigbar asked casually as he watched the teenager heads towards the line of trees.

"Sure! I can come back here tomorrow if that's okay with you." Roxas turned towards Xigbar, who grinned.

"Awesome, I can do that. See ya, kiddo."

"Okay! See you later, Xigbar!" The latter waved back at Roxas who promptly dashed into the trees, pushing branches out of his path, and Xigbar turned back towards the lake, finally registering the sunset; he had arrived late in the day, maybe... three o'clock in the afternoon. It was hard to believe he spent the last three or four hours talking with someone he just met... the most beautiful person, he had ever met. Even Demyx had

nothing on the teenager known as Roxas. He had seen plenty of blonds but no one with that hair color or anyone with that eye color.. it was like looking at a clean, perfect jewel. He would love to draw the kid.. Roxas was interesting and he had great talent for art. He was really looking forward to talking with Roxas tomorrow. Hopefully, they could talk more about art or music or something.. Xigbar looked to his left, and as if on quo, the lizard he had been drawing before slithered up to the same rock it had previously sunned itself on, and he smirked, grabbing his pencil and sketchbook slowly. Maybe this little lizard was a sign of something...

II~XIII~II~XIII

Roxas panted as he stopped into front of his house on Twilight Lane, digging around in his pocket until he found his key and poking it into the lock, turning it and entering his house. He sniffed the air and he smiled; His mother made his favorite, macaroni and cheese. Holding his backpack in one hand, Roxas slipped his sneakers off and toed them to the wall, smiling when he heard his mother calling his name.

"Roxas!"

"Hey, Mom..." Roxas groaned as his mother, Tifa, him tight, squeezing him. Smiling, she pulled away, long black hair swaying slightly. She was beautiful, just like her son, but her hair was a totally different color, and her rich brown orbs eyes were full of strength and passion.

"Where's Dad?" Roxas asked as he headed straight towards the stairs, passing the kitchen to his left and the living room to his right, his bare feet thumping up the stairs.

"At work, as usual.." Tifa rolled her eyes before walking into kitchen that smelled of baked cheese and spices. Roxas sighed; His father always seemed to be at work..

Roxas got to the stop of the stairs, stretching as he passed his mother and father's and his brother's rooms and walked up to his door, able to here his brother's music faintly. He turned the knob, immediately tripping on a pair of bright red and blue high top Converses, backpack flying across the floor as he hit the white carpet, muttering curses. His stupid twin brother just had to leave his shoes in the floor... and not even in his own room, no less! Sora was careless like that... He was thankful that he was the cleaner of the two, making sure to organize his clothes and items, unlike the brunette... Sora would just throw his shoes and clothes all over the floor and always left a plate or glass on his desk... but he was caring and a good friend, even if he was irritating sometimes. Most likely his twin brother had been listening to music, wasn't paying attention, and kicked his shoes into his room by accident. Roxas got up and brushed himself off, grabbing the shoes and backing out to knock on Sora's bedroom door. He could hear Sora's favorite song playing and footsteps, meaning the brunette was dancing.

"Sora, you left your shoes in my room!" Roxas shouted, knocking on the door a little harder. The music stopped and the door opened swiftly, Sora hugging his twin brother.

"There were my shoes... Thanks, little bro!" Sora grinned, taking the shoes from Roxas.

"You were only older by like a few minutes, Sora!" Roxas laughed, pushing his slightly taller brother playfully.

"Still older, technically." Sora chimed, laughing as he tossed his shoes in a random direction.

"Shut up!" Roxas answered back, moving back into his room to set his backpack on his computer chair.

"Boys! Come down for dinner!"

"Alright, Mom!" The two brothers answered in unison and then broke into laughter at how in sync they were. They always had been, able to sense each others emotions without even talking or finish each other sentences. Sora ran down the stairs followed by Roxas, the brunette skidding into the medium sized kitchen. Sora grabbed a few plates from the cabinet to his left and Roxas got glasses, and their mother moved a glass dish of macaroni and cheese onto the square shaped table in the upper left corner.

"When will Dad be home?" Sora asked as he placed the plates on the table before flopping down, grabbing the spoon his mother sat down and immediately digging into the bowl.

"He said in a hour or two, maybe earlier..." Tifa sighed, holding her cheek for a moment."It would be nice if he came home earlier..."

"That sucks..." Roxas muttered as he turned the sink on and began to wash his hands. They barely saw their father... it seemed like he was at work all day, everyday. He knew his father have a stressful job that did require him to work overtime and late nights occasionally, but he never heard of a businessman having late night shifts everyday of the week... but then again, his father worked for one of Twilight Town's biggest companies, the producer of his favorite ice cream brand and times were a little tough. At least he had something to look forward to if he father had another twenty-four hour shift: meeting with that artist, Xigbar. Xigbar had to have been one of the coolest adults he knew, besides his parents and his music teacher, Mr. Fortissimo and his english teacher, Mr. Thomas. He wiped his hands on a nearby towel before sitting down adjacent to his twin, spooning macaroni and cheese onto his plate.

"So, how was your day, Roxas?" His mother asked on her strong voice as she got a forkful of macaroni.

"Pretty good. Had some tests and stuff, but while I was in the park I met this awesome artist named Xigbar. We talked for a long time," Roxas replied before he chewed his macaroni, humming in joy at the wonderful tasting food.

"That's nice. What school does he go too?"

"He's out of school. He knew my music teacher too."

"He knew Mr. Fortissimo? That's pretty cool." Sora mumbled through a large spoon of macaroni. "What's he look like?"

"Well, he looked really tall, he had a huge jagged scar on the right side of his face, and an eyepatch on the left. He had black hair with silver stripes through it, tan skin, and the weirdest eye color..." Roxas sighed, trailing off as he thought. The man was strange looking but extremely handsome. He would have loved to draw Xigbar.. "His only eye was bright gold.."

"That's weird." Sora quipped, raising his eyebrows at his twin.

"Hey! Xigbar's really cool. I'm gonna talk to him again tomorrow."

"That seems like a bad idea, Roxas..." Tifa scowled at him, and Roxas frowned. "You barely know him and by what you say, he looks suspicious."

"Mom!" Roxas whined, something he never did. There was something about Xigbar... He just had a gut feeling that he needed to go back and talk with Xigbar more and even if his mother said no, he was going to meet Xigbar again anyways. "Xigbar's a good guy. I'll be fine, and it's not like I'm defenseless... You did teach me kick boxing. Please?"

Tifa raised a eyebrow and sighed. She was a mother, and she was supposed to protect her children, especially from random strangers in the park. She had told them numerous times not to talk to strangers, even when they were teenagers... What kind of mother would she be if she let one of her precious sons get hurt or abducted?

"I can go with him, Mom." Sora offered.

"Well..."

"C'mon Mom, I'll be fine. I don't need Sora with me." Roxas huffed.

"I suppose-" Tifa was cut off by the front door unlocking and opening, and she gave a sigh and slight scowl."I'll be back in a minute, I need to talk to your father..."

As their mother got up from her seat, Sora leaned over to Roxas and whispered,"Here they go again..."

Roxas sighed. In the last month, his parents hadn't been getting along well, and he guessed it was because his father had been working so much but his mother had been somewhat ornery in the last two months... And the whole thing was irritating. He knew parents didn't get along sometimes but he wished his mother and father would think of them when they did fight. No one wanted to hear them yell at each other, especially Sora and himself. He was glad they were done with their dinner... both of them to run up to bed, hopefully go to sleep and not hear anything though Sora enjoyed eavesdropping. Hearing fierce hushed whispers, both boys took their plates and quickly finished the last bites before setting them in the sink. Sora looked around the corner; their parents were in the living room. They dashed up the stairs quietly, stopping outside Sora's room.

"You're gonna go and meet that Xigbar guy anyway, aren't you?" Sora grinned.

"Yeah, so what? Mom pretty much said yes..." Roxas gave a slight scowl as he opened the door to his room.

"Oh well. 'Night, Roxas." And Sora shut his door as Roxas responded,"Good night, Sora."

Roxas faintly heard his parents from beneath the floor as he unbutton and unzipped his jeans, taking them off and tossing them into a dirty clothes basket next to his desk. He took a minute to make sure his room was up to his standards of clean; His desk to the right was free of any wrappers or loose papers, his easel next to his desk was.. as clean as it could be, no clothes were peaking from his closet to the left, and his bed straight in front of him was made up right, sky blue and pale yellow sheets and comforter in place. He took his t-shirt off and placed it in the basket, moving next to his closet where a blue dresser stood. Taking a green pajama shirt and bottoms from the second drawer, he put them on as the whispers volume grew and he could make out words.

"..._Cloud, why... ever home?"_

_"It's my work... a lot of break-ins and missing funds..."_

Roxas sighed as he exited his room so he could brush his teeth, quickly going through the procedure so he could go to sleep as fast as possible, before his parents got any louder... He wouldn't have picked his current room if he knew his parents would fight... but then again, Sora's room is nearly directly over the living room so he heard more of it... Closing his door, pulling his sheets back, and climbing into bed, Roxas snuggled up under the covers until the blankets covered up to his neck. His thoughts were random as he breathed softly, turning towards the wall, and then they stopped at Xigbar, and he subconsciously smiled. He could barely contain his excitement. He didn't know any other artists at school except for this creepy girl.. Namine, and he never went near her. It felt nice to find someone who loved art as much as he did, even if said person looked pretty strange but he shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and neither should his mom, though he could understand her reasoning. His mother was a lax mother but she was protective, as was his father. Xigbar.. had the most amazing grin too. His grin made you want to smile and laugh and the funny thing was... he just met the man. He hadn't seen him around Twilight Town, but he never did pay a lot of attention when he was out, especially if he was with friends. Maybe while he was at school he could try and draw something... maybe even Xigbar himself. Even if his parents were going to be cold to each other tomorrow, at least he had something to look forward too besides a day off from school.


	2. Growing and Lessening Suspicions

"Get up, Roxas! Get up, get up, get up!"

Roxas groaned and ducked under his blue covers as his idiot twin brother hopped about his bed wildly in an attempt to wake him up, shaking him and poking his head through the covers. Sora jumped a little harder, landing on his knees and he earned a curse.

"Fuck, Sora, get off me! I'm up, I'm up! What are you, five years old? And it's a Saturday!" Roxas shouted, pushing both the blankets back and at the same time, Sora, the slightly older brother hitting the carpet with a thump. Why did Sora have to be so irritating? He was sixteen... he shouldn't be doing that! Especially since the brunette was heavier than he by at least ten pounds. At least it was a Saturday and he didn't have to go to school...Wait, why was Sora waking him up on Saturday? Either Sora wanted to be smacked or he had slept way too late... It dawned on him; he had his meeting with Xigbar and they didn't have a set meeting time so Xigbar could have been waiting for him.. Roxas gasped and hopped out of bed, nearly tripping on Sora, who laughed as his twin ripped open a drawer on his dresser.

"It's only ten in the morning, Roxas!" Sora laughed, falling back onto the floor and rolling some as his brother whirled around. He laughed even harder when he felt a bare foot to his back.

"You ass! I thought I might have been late to see Xigbar!" Roxas huffed, crossing his arms and giving Sora an disappointed glare.

"I knew you'd act all weird.. I bet you've got a crush on this Xigbar guy," Sora stuck his tongue out and grinned as he got to his feet. He couldn't hold in a laugh as Roxas' cerulean orbs widened and a fierce blush arose as he took a step back subconsciously.

"Sora!" Roxas exclaimed, snatching up a pillow and tossing it at his brother, who slipped out of his bedroom door, laughing. Sora was such a idiot! He didn't have a crush on Xigbar, he just met the man! And he was over ten years older than him and if he ever did... It would be wrong. He was under the legal age and he had at least five months until he was eighteen, even if he was mature for his age. He didn't want to get Xigbar in trouble like that or make him go to jail. He shook his head; He didn't have any feelings for Xigbar besides basic feelings of the man being a friend, but there Sora went, jumping to conclusions like usual, but he was excited none the less. He was just excited to talk to someone who shared his same passion for art.. He doubted he could ever have romantic feelings for Xigbar. Roxas huffed as he turned and closed the open drawer that contained his pajamas, opening the first to grab a pair of green and white plaid boxers, white t-shirt with a silver crown and a pair of bright azure cargo shorts from the third drawer. He undressed himself and tossed the pajamas in a wicker basket, slipping his new underwear on, t-shirt and shorts. He opened his room's window, yawning as he felt the warm summer air flow through his hair. It was a beautiful day, and Twilight Town was alive with activity; people, pets, and he could even hear the train's horn as it docked in the station. He took a minute to stare at his hometown, looking at the trees with emerald green leaves and the golden bricks that made up the apartments and the houses; He could see the park in the distance, and he smiled.

Roxas stretched and put on a pair of socks that were placed specifically on his dresser, grabbing his backpack that sat on his computer chair, searching through it until he found his sketchbook and pencil, pulling them out and laying them on his bed as he put his sneakers on. He grabbed the sketchbook, house keys and cellphone from the desk, shoving them in his pocket before exiting his room; He was so subconsciously excited that he forgot to make up his bed. It didn't even cross his mind as he rushed down the stairs, and he could hear Sora's humming from the kitchen.

"Good morning, Roxas." Tifa greeted him with her beautiful smile as she placed a plate of steaming pancakes on the kitchen table; His favorite.

"Morning Mom..." Roxas trailed off; he was torn. Should he head to the park to meet Xigbar or eat his favorite breakfast item then go to the park? Well, it was only ten o'clock. Maybe Xigbar wasn't even awake yet. It wouldn't take him long to eat anyways. He flopped down in a chair next to Sora who shoveled pancakes into his mouth furiously, chewing quickly.

"Sora... I've told you not to eat so fast," Tifa laughed at her son, who grinned and slowed down. "Did you sleep well Roxas?"

"Yeah, until Sora woke me up." Roxas said and he was handed a plate by his mother. He got a fork from the table and slapped pancakes onto his plate, cutting a thin slice of butter to place on his pancakes, then he squeezed syrup onto the fluffy cakes.

"Sowwy," Sora said through pancakes and Roxas could only shake his head. His brother never changed. He was always doing something like talking with his mouth full or doing childish thing... but he loved his twin brother. No one else in the world knew him like Sora did. No matter how irritating Sora was, he truly didn't mind, even if he acted hot and bothered about it, and Sora knew it... most of the time.

"So what are you two going to do today? And if you're wondering, your father is, as always, working." Tifa huffed, rolling her brown eyes."Dilly dally, shilly shally.."

"I'm gonna go hang out with Riku, and we're gonna go see a movie." Sora yawned, pushing his empty plate of pancakes away and patting his full stomach.

"Sounds nice. In case you two get back before me, I'm going out to get groceries and to meet with Doctor Aerith about your next physicals. What about you, Roxas?"

"Gonna go to the park and meet up with Xigbar." Roxas stated, decision not swayed.

Tifa raised a eyebrow. "Still going? I thought I told you it was a bad idea."

"I know, Mom, but you said yes last night." Roxas scowled as he chewed on a piece of syrup soaked pancake.

Tifa sighed. Roxas was completely right, she did indeed say Roxas could meet that Xigbar man... but she was comfortable with it. She couldn't believe that she had said that, but Cloud had just walked in and she had been irritated with him more than usual that day. She didn't want to make Roxas angry with her, but even more so, she wanted him to be safe. It was true that when Roxas and Sora were around eleven, she had taught them kick boxing to both defend themselves in case she wasn't there and to keep them safe, but if Roxas was right, Xigbar was much older than him, and much stronger, and chances are, Roxas wouldn't be able to stop that man from assaulting him or doing worse.

"Roxas, I don't like this idea. I don't think you should go, and you're my son, I know that I probably can't stop you from going... at least take Sora with you."

"Fine.." Roxas huffed. His mother was being too over protective. "Will you go with me?"

"Sure." Sora said and he could see in Roxas' eyes that his twin had a plan that went against what his mother said.

"Let's go ahead and leave, Sora." Roxas said, standing and grabbing his sketchbook. Sora grinned and stood, both of them putting their plates in the sink before they headed to the door.

"See you later, Mom." They spoke in unison and Tifa couldn't help but grin at her boys as she heard the door close.

Roxas yawned as he was hit with the familiar summer heat, and Sora turned to him with a giggle.

"What are you gonna do?" Sora whispered suggestively with a goofy grin, poking his brother in the shoulder repeatedly.

"You're going to go hang out with Riku while I got meet up with Xigbar. I'll be fine." Roxas sighed as he strolled down the front steps and onto the front path that lead to the sidewalk. "Meet outside the pizza place next to the movie theater and we can eat lunch?"

"Awesome! Alright then," Sora chimed, running after his brother."If something happens, call me!"

"I will!"

II~XIII~II~XIII

Xigbar yawned as he sat down on the grass in front of the hidden lake, stretching briefly as fish swam in the lake and frogs croaked. A breeze rolled through the area, leaves on the trees swaying and rustling. It was around ten thirty, and he figured Roxas would be at the lake eventually. He was kid, he probably liked to sleep late; He did as well. His sketchbook rested at his side as his lone eye scanned the horizon of trees and lake. He liked summer better than any other season, winter and autumn were too cold, and spring was much too rainy, but summer was just right to him, maybe because he liked the heat. Plus, he liked to swim, and summer was the perfect time for swimming. He was pretty glad that he managed to draw that lizard yesterday, and he looked around wondering if the reptile would come again or if another would show its face. Xigbar heard a distinct rustling from behind him, and he turned to see Roxas step into the clearing with a grin on his face.

"Hey, kiddo!" Xigbar greeted the blond with a fanged grin, the latter grinning back as he hurried over.

"Hey, Xigbar. Did you wait long?" Roxas questioned as he sat down next to Xigbar, not feeling any sort of aversion towards the motion; He didn't get a dangerous vibe from the man.

"Nah, only... ten minutes or so, but it's cool, kid. How's it goin'?" Xigbar questioned back with raised eyebrows.

"Pretty good." Roxas nodded to himself, keeping his mouth shut about how his Mom was acting. Xigbar didn't need to know, and if he said anything it would be awkward. "Had breakfast then ran over here."

"Cool, what did'cha have?"

"Pancakes, haha."

"Oooh, I love pancakes, kiddo. I just got up and headed over here with a piece a toast in my mouth," Xigbar laughed, and Roxas had to laugh too at the thought of Xigbar strolling around with toast hanging from his mouth. It was weird.. it didn't feel Roxas was talking to a stranger but more like a friend.

"Hey Xigbar... If you don't mind me asking, where did you get that scar?" Roxas asked, but almost instantly, he regretted it. Here he was, prying into a complete stranger's private past which was rude! His mother had definitely taught him better. He clammed up, biting his bottom lip, and he hoped Xigbar would just ignore him.

"I don't mind, kiddo." Xigbar said, and Roxas let out a breath of relief; He hadn't messed up."I got it 'bout a year and a half ago ago in a working accident. Used ta be a Detective of a sex crimes unit, and we were tailin' this pedophile... there was a explosion from a homemade bomb he set off and I got hurt is all. My scars were fine but it took a while to get used to loosin' my eye though. I retired like right after that..."

Roxas didn't respond when he saw a look of bitterness in Xigbar's eye, but the man gave him a disarming grin, the emotion gone, and Roxas could see the deep, jagged maroon scar stretch. He stared at it, blinking slowly, before he made eye contact with Xigbar. Sex crimes... that must have meant things involving molestation, rape, kidnapping. All things his mother had warned both Sora and him about from a young age. Scream if someone tried to touch you between your legs or if they tried to lead you away. Xigbar used to be the person who captured the rapists and the child molesters and put them away. This fact gave Roxas another reason to trust the man, but he frowned inwardly at himself; he shouldn't be that naive. Maybe it was all a lie, and maybe Xigbar was.. Roxas subconsciously gulped and in his mind, he slapped himself. Still, he shouldn't be assuming that about someone, regardless of whether it was a stranger or a friend but the possibilities were endless. His mother could be right and Xigbar might be a pedophile or a rapist.. who liked little boys... boys like him. He bit his lip harder.

"So.. Did you get the guy?" Roxas asked, raising a eyebrow.

"Yeah, we finally got'em. I didn't see what happened since I got hurt but I know the other detectives, one of'em a friend of mine told me that he took a hostage in a building but they got everyone out safely and convicted him. But I'm a-okay kid, no problems here..." Xigbar chuckled, sensing discomfort from the teenager next to him; maybe he shouldn't have said anything. He tried to switch the subject. "So, you draw anythin' new?"

"Nope, I was tired so I ended up having dinner and went to bed. Just wondering, but what did the guy look like?" Roxas asked suspiciously, thinking that if Xigbar was lying, he would see some sort of reaction, maybe the man fidgeting or stuttering.

"Was a real creepy guy with pale skin, green eyes, and blond hair who worked as a clown at carnivals and who just seemed real off. He was obsessed with fire too. He would go after little kids, maybe five or six and..." Xigbar stopped himself."I'm pretty sure ya don't wanna hear or need ta hear all the nasty details, kid."

That didn't sound like a description off the top of one's head, and Roxas gave a frown as he thought; He faintly remembered an article in the Twilight Times about some pedophile who liked fire getting caught... He couldn't remember specifics of the article, only the head lines but if Xigbar was indeed telling the truth, that paper probably had an article on him and his injuries. He could always check since their newspaper had a online collection of past newspapers that dated back two years or more. He was definitely going to check out Xigbar's story, just to make sure, before he ruined whatever friendship they might have by falsely accusing Xigbar or worse, something horrible happened to him. If something happened to him, he knew his mother would never forgive herself.

"You okay kid?" Xigbar questioned with genuine concern. "Ya look kinda like you're gonna barf."

"I'm fine, I was just thinking about something from a few years ago," Roxas gave a nervous chuckle.

"Oh." Xigbar quipped, and then he laughed."I was wonderin' 'cause ya had a strange look on your face."

Roxas sighed; He wanted to change the subject now..

"Did you ever finish that sketch of the lizard that I scared away?"

"Yep. Funny thing, lil'guy came right back out later," Xigbar yawned and turned towards the lake just as a frog dove in. There was silence between them before Roxas spoke up. The blond didn't want things to be too awkward; a part in him devoutly believed that Xigbar wasn't a sex offender or even a bad person in general.

"This is probably a stupid question, but what's your last name?" Roxas questioned out of the blue, trying to spark some sort of conversation.

"Nope, it's a totally cool one. It's Shigubaru. Pretty cool soundin', ain't it?" Xigbar wriggled his eyebrows with a smirk.

"It is pretty cool, Xigbar. Hmm... How about we ask each other some random questions?" Roxas suggested. He wouldn't answer anything suspicious, but it was a good chance to assess Xigbar's intentions. From what he knew about sex offenders, they were somewhat straight forward with their intentions and asked... personal questions. But if they were straight forward and didn't hesitate to rape or attack someone, and if Xigbar was a sex offender, wouldn't he have attacked him already? He shrugged to himself.

"I'm cool with that, kiddo. You can ask another first." Xigbar stared at the teenager; the kid seemed pretty suspicious, but that was understandable since he was a total stranger. It was good that Roxas wasn't as naive as many other teenagers and just went head first into a situation without thinking of the consequences. That was the reason for quite a number of rape cases he solves that happened on school campuses or even just out on the streets, abduction cases as well, but it was never the victim's fault; They didn't ask to be raped. It was clear to him that Roxas had a good head on his shoulders, was a smart kid... a beautiful kid; his brow furrowed when the word popped into his mind. He shouldn't have a thought like that... even though that was the only would he could use to describe Roxas. It was wrong, but he dismissed it as just thinking about how he could draw the teenager.

"Okay... Did you work alone as a detective or did you have a partner?"

"Had a partner, a cool guy by the name of Kiros. He was real smart and good at gettin' inside a person's head, totally calm durin' serious situations." Xigbar said, nodding to himself. He wondered what ever happened to Kiros... After he retired, he just lost contact with the man over time, as well as other members of his unit and his captain. He guess that Kiros had probably continued to be a cop and got a new partner. He had heard rumors of a new detective, but that was years ago; the black haired man was probably long gone by now. "So, how long have you lived in Twilight Town?"

"My whole life." Roxas answered back; So far, so good, no creepy questions. "What's your favorite color?"

"Green and orange, kiddo. Yours?"

"I like all shades of blue, a yellow sometimes. Did you like being a detective?"

"Yeah, I did. I liked being able to put all those bastards away. You can ask me all 'bout my work if ya want, you seem real interested. What's your favorite season?" Xigbar said and Roxas was going to take him up on the offer. Not only would it help corroborate his idea that Xigbar was a good guy, but he had never met a detective.

"Okay. I think my favorite is a toss between summer and fall. If this is okay, how did you become a detective so quickly?"

"I like summer too, kid. A friend and superior officer of mine from trainin' suggested me since I was always at the top of the class in some key stuff, and they tested me psychologically and did some stuff and there I was. Usually it takes a while to become a detective." Roxas watched as Xigbar shrugged. He could sense a sort of bitterness coming from the man, and he cocked his head to the side briefly. Being a sex crimes detective must have taken up a lot of his time, and seeing all that horrible, mentally scarring debauchery left and right must have taken a toll on his relationships, but what did he know. He wouldn't have been able to take it, so Xigbar must have been a strong person. If he saw all those things daily, he probably wouldn't be able to have sex or anything without thinking about what he might have seen. His suspicion was gradually dying down, and in the back of his mind, he thought of himself as foolish. So far, Xigbar hadn't asked him any strange questions, in fact, he seemed to be considering his questions carefully... but that didn't mean anything; He could still be lying. Xigbar turned to him with a smirk.

"You think I'm lyin', don'cha?"

Roxas froze. What was he supposed to say? Yes, because I was being cautious and risk offending Xigbar or lie, and say no and probably have Xigbar find out on his own? He scooted to the side carefully, trying not to alert Xigbar.

"If you are, that's a sorta good thing. Means yer cautious, but'cha don't have to worry none, kiddo. I'm a good guy. I barely know you and I wouldn't let nothin' happen to ya." Xigbar assured the boy, and he meant every word. He was retired, but that didn't mean he couldn't protect and serve, especially someone so beautiful. He mentally slapped himself. That wasn't a feeling he needed to have, especially with his background as a detective. He had slipped on their first meeting, but that... it was nothing.

Roxas shrugged. It would be better for him to lie.. even if he felt guilty. "No... not at all. I was just curious."

"Oh, that's cool too. Eh, here, look at this." Xigbar trailed off and he pulled his wallet from his pocket, opening it and digging in one of the pockets. He pulled out a old, fraying, folded picture, and he handed it to Roxas. Roxas unfolded it gently to make sure he didn't tear it, and he bit his lip; It was faded, but he saw Xigbar in a button up shirt and jeans, gun in it's holster on his waist, smirking while standing next to a thin, shouter man with brown skin and pitch black locks, who appeared to be trying not to smile. That photo must have been taken after Xigbar got injured since the man had both only one of his eyes and the scar was present on his face; Xigbar was extremely handsome, even with the scar. Next to that man was a young women with pink hair that almost seemed curly, and she had a smirk on her face, dressed in a dark blue blouse and skirt, and to Xigbar's left was a man that was slightly shorter than Xigbar, with short blond hair and a smile on his face, with a long coat on. To the woman's right was a blond with what looked like a mo-hawk, but his hair was just spiked in the top, with a large tattoo on the right side of his face. All of them looked quite happy.

"That was a few days before I left. Even though our job ain't happy, they wanted me to have a good memory of them." Xigbar chuckled as Roxas continued to stare at the photo."Wanna know their names? If ya ever seem'em, you can say you met me."

"Sure," Roxas gave a nervous grin and Xigbar subconsciously smiled back.

"Kiros was on my right, and Lightning was next to him with Zell grinnin' like a idiot as always. Snow's the guy on the otherside'a me. My captain wasn't there, he got injured in that bomb too."

"Was he okay?" Roxas stared up into Xigbar's lone eye.. and there was a hidden emotion deep inside: bitterness.

"Yeah, he was fine. Blast just knocked 'im back and gave him a broken arm, ribs, a few cuts. I was right in front of him headin' into a buildin' to get the guy when he set off a bomb that was rigged 'round the door frame. I got the brunt of the blast is all I'm sayin'."

"Must've hurt bad.." Roxas mused as he checked his phone: It was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon. He figured Sora and Riku were almost finished with the movie, but he didn't want to leave yet but he wanted his mother to think he and Sora had come back at the same time so she wouldn't worry.

"Eh, I hit my head so I was out cold 'til i woke up in the hospital." Xigbar shrugged.

"So... how'd you get into art?" Roxas asked. He needed time to think...

"Ya want the whole story with some backstory or a short version?"

"Long version," Roxas sighed, nodding.

"Alright then. I guess I started drawin' when I was like.. six or seven, and I just kept gettin' better'n better. I got real interested when I started takin' art in middle school and I got a real bad cut on my back..." Xigbar said, sighing. Suddenly, it dawned on him, just how much Roxas looked like... Ventus. He looked over at the boy next to him slowly; They were the spitting image of each other. Same blond hair in the same style, same vibrant blue eyes.. He turned away quickly, huffing; He didn't want those memories. "I got real angry 'round that time and all I did was draw sometimes, for hours. I got really good durin' then, painted too."

He was pretty sure that picture wasn't doctored or changed, especially since it was so worn, and if it was real, that completely proved that Xigbar had indeed been a detective, but at the same time, Xigbar could have changed. With all that Xigbar saw, for all Roxas knew, he could have become exactly like the people he arrested. If he saw all that he imagined a sex crime detective could see: rapes, pedophiles, the victims... He was sure he would either go insane or become like them.

"When became a detective and sometimes in trainin', drawin' was all that kept be sane sometimes. When I saw the child victims, that was what hit me hard and I used to draw when I could. Nothin' horrible but just scribbles or of monsters. Kept my mind off'a stuff like their voices, 'cause it hurt to hear all that stuff, kid. You dunno the half of it..."

"I bet..." Roxas said. He needed to go now and think about this more; He better go now. He didn't need his mother finding out that he lied and this was somewhat awkward now."Hey Xigbar, I gotta go now."

"Alright, kid." Xigbar said as Roxas stood with his sketchbook in hand, and he got up as well, stretching. He had expected them to talk about art at some point but he wasn't surprised that they didn't. Then an idea popped into his head. "Hey, ya wanna have my MSN so we can talk?"

"Uh, sure... You have MSN?"

"Hell yea, kiddo. Email's TheFreeshooter. Yours?"

"TheKeyofDestiny. You use Ansem's website?" Roxas sighed.

"Yep. Just send me a message if ya wanna talk. See ya, kiddo." Xigbar said with a grin, but Roxas didn't grin back. He almost asked what was wrong, but he could tell the boy was suspicious and wary.

"Okay. So, I'll talk to you later, Xigbar."

He watched as Roxas headed towards the tree line, blond spikes swaying in the breeze that rolled through the area, and he felt his ponytail ghost against his shirt. The teenager ducked under a tree branch, gradually disappearing from Xigbar's sight, and he let out a sigh, scowling. He knew that Roxas felt suspicious of him, and it was totally understandable. The kid was smart to be like that, and like a few times, he regretted not having his badge so that he could show Roxas that he was a good guy, but then again, there were crooked cops; He had arrested some. But, the feeling he got when he was next to Roxas, when he saw the teenager smile, was strange; he couldn't explain it.

He tried to dismiss it as nothing more than feelings of friendship, something he wasn't exactly familiar with. Kiros, Snow, Zell, Lightning, and Cid had been his best friends- no, they had his family; even the resident criminal psychologist, Baltheir, had been his friend even if they butted heats occasionally. But when he was around Roxas, he got a different type of feeling that was somewhat similar to his feelings for his former squad members, but at the same time, it was totally different. It was a feeling completely akin to how he felt about... Ventus. He groaned softly, trying to force the memories from his head. Ventus looked exactly like Roxas, yet they were so different in personality. He couldn't possibly have the same feelings for Roxas as he did for Ventus; Impossible. It was wrong.

Xigbar crossed his arms in a bothered fashion, and he gave a bitter chuckle. He probably had those old feelings surface again because Ventus and Roxas looked exactly the same, but what were the chances of that? Of two males looking like identical twins yet they couldn't possibly be related, but anything was possible; He was alive today, and that was a miracle in itself. He sighed heavily himself, bending down and picking his sketch book up, heading towards the trees and he felt a familiar tightness in his chest that made it hard to breath, just like that night. He needed a drink and he needed it now; he didn't want to remember any of the memories of what happened two years ago. None of them... It was too painful.

II~XIII~II~XIII

Roxas sighed as he walked on he path towards his house that cut through the Tram Common; As the town grew, the forest was turned into a residential area, though the mansion stayed for historical purposes. He pulled out his azure cellphone and flipped it open, searching for Sora's number; He didn't feel like having lunch, he just wanted to go home. His thoughts floated back to his long conversation with Xigbar, and had to resist sighing and scowling hard as his feet hit the golden red bricks, people passing him by. He wasn't exactly wrong to assume that Xigbar was out to hurt him but, it wasn't right either. He couldn't even properly explain why he thought Xigbar might have been lying, especially after he saw the photo. It couldn't have been how the man looked, or else he wouldn't have spoke to him yesterday if he had gotten the feeling, and he thought the man looked fine, quite handsome in fact. The man didn't seem creepy or have something off about him, nor did he given any hints toward him being a sex offender, but it wasn't like he was a expert... He just felt so _guilty_, and he even lied to Xigbar. But he could see the bitterness in Xigbar's eye when he brought up the names of his old squad. Maybe he should have just said no to knowing the names, but he could somewhat understand the bitterness. He worked hard to put sex offenders away and here some random kid is, thinking that you're lying and are a sex offender; that had to hurt mentally, but maybe it was something totally different, he didn't know.

Xigbar didn't even seemed fazed by his suspicion, but he still didn't feel right about the whole scene. It was just best to put it behind him and forget it ever happened. He found Sora's number finally, realizing that he had been sitting on the same number for a few minutes. He dialed the number and held his phone to his ear, hearing the dialing tone. He hoped he wouldn't see his mother because she would know he lied and if she saw him... She would know he felt bad and think Xigbar did or said something to him and he wasn't about to let that happen. He knew a back way to his house, and he would use that to get home while he called Sora. He waited a few seconds as he walked, and the phone went to voice mail; He groaned.

Sora hardly ever picked up his phone on the first ring...

He dialed again as he headed towards the arch they made when they made the residential area, leaning against it yet he was out of the way. After a few minutes, Sora finally picked up.

"_Roxas, the movie's done, where are ya?"_

"Almost near home." Roxas stated.

_"Bro, are you okay? Did something happen?"_

"Not at all, I had a great time, Sora." Roxas sighed, lying again, something he didn't like to do. A random thought popped into his head and he spoke."We talked for a while but Xigbar got called in randomly to work."

"_Oh okay... You sure?"_

"Why wouldn't I be, stupid?"

_"Alrighty," _He heard Sora laugh."_Me and Riku are gonna go play video games at his house. Tell Mom you left since Xigbar had to go to work and then we split up."_

"Okay. Wow, first good idea I've heard from you in a while Sora." Roxas laughed, half to make Sora less suspicious and half because it was true.

"_Shut up, Roxas! You know it was a date! Did you kiss?"_

"You shut up, Sora! It wasn't a date and you know it," Roxas huffed; Sora went right back to being a idiot...

"_I know, haha. I'll see you at home. See you at home, Roxas!"_

_"_Alright. See you, Sora." Roxas said before hanging up his cellphone, sticking it back into his pocket as he continued towards the shortcut. He passed the first two busy streets, going to head to the fifth street where he lived. He came up with a good excuse, so he didn't mind if his Mom saw him; he would play it safe, like everything worked out as he.. lied. He sighed; He hated to lie. He passed a good amount of people as he walked down the white sidewalk, hearing cars in the distance from the main part of Twilight Town. Twilight Town was still a small town, so they didn't need many cars and most everyone walked wherever they need to go in town. It was nice not to hear cars, sirens, and all the hustle and bustle; Twilight Town was a lot different from Hollow Bastion, where his cousin Vanitas lived. He wondered where Xigbar was from originally... He never asked. He figured Twilight Town, but for all he knew, Xigbar could have moved from somewhere else... which meant he could have a record somewhere else. Maybe he could look Xigbar up on one of those sex offender websites... He groaned and mentally slapped himself. Now he was saying he was going to look the man up; He needed to stop and think about this seriously and with the facts at hand.

Roxas found himself at the door to his house, bringing out his key and unlocking the door. He was hit by the cool air and he sighed, shutting the door behind him, locking it, and headed to his room. His mother wasn't home, so that was good... The second he opened his room, he put his sketchbook down and took his laptop and put in on his bed. He toed his shows off before laying down on his stomach in front of it. He was gonna search just to be clear so it wouldn't bother him anymore and he could focus on figuring out the truth; He couldn't forget to look up that newspaper article either.

As Roxas' laptop turned on and showed the brand's logo, he groaned, feelings of guilt getting stronger as his computer's wallpaper appeared on the screen. Was it right to be searching Xigbar up to see if he was a sex offender when yesterday he was acting like they were best friends? Or was he just being cautious, as Xigbar said? He clicked the Internet icon and when it came up, he brought up a search engine and typed in 'sex offender list'. He found an official site on the first page and clicked. The page had a bunch of contact information and how to use the site, and Roxas went right to the search bar and typed in Xigbar's name and picked the town; Twilight Town first. The search went quickly.

No results.

Roxas sighed, and went back and selected Hollow Bastion, but he saw a option to make the search through all cities; Still nothing.

"Stupid me.." Roxas huffed. Xigbar wasn't a sex offender at all, but then again, he just couldn't have been convicted and stayed secret. He bit his lip. He would have looked up a police database, but that was probably off limits to civilians such as himself, so he typed in the name of the newspaper's archive site. Xigbar said the incident occurred year and a half ago, so he typed in the year. A long list of picture thumbnails with descriptions and titles popped up in an instant. His cerulean orbs searched through the numerous titles until he saw the word 'clown' and he stopped, clicking on the thumbnail which brought up a larger picture of the article. He paused with a sigh, getting to his feet; It was hot and he needed something cold to drink.

So there was a good chance Xigbar wasn't a sex offender, an extremely good chance. Now all Roxas had to do was confirm he was a sex crimes detective and maybe everything would be alright and he wouldn't be so worried, but... he had to apologize sooner or later. Roxas figured he could wait as he scratched his blond locks as he stepped down the stairs and into his kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can of soda, opening it and drinking the cool, bubbly liquid down as he walked back towards the stairs.

Roxas sighed. The whole thing was confusing to him. Was Xigbar lying or not? Was he a sex offender or not? That site... his heart, and his gut told him _no_, but his practical side was saying _maybe_. Well, maybe, he just needed to listen to his heart and gut and ignore what he thought may or may not be true. In all the times he got a gut feeling about something, from people to places, his gut was right on the money and right now, his gut was saying that Xigbar was a good person and a friend. Maybe he needed to listen again. He huffed and steeled himself as he walked up the stairs. He was gonna check that article to rest his mind for tonight, then tomorrow, he would get on MSN with Xigbar and they could talk. Sometime he wished he was like Sora and just dove into things... but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Roxas walked into his room again and sat down on the bed this time, pulling his laptop into his lap. As he sipped on his soda, he read the title.

_'Pedophile Clown Collared at __Abandoned Building Finally_ .'

He looked at the article closer, seeing another title... and a picture of Xigbar, before his injuries and another man, but he didn't pay attention to the other.

_'Two Detectives Injured in Pedophile Clown's Homemade Bomb.'_

Xigbar... was quite handsome without his injuries, but to Roxas.. he liked Xigbar with the eyepatch and scar. Maybe that was why he saw the bitterness in Xigbar's eye; he didn't like the way he looked now. He sighed and closed the program out. He had been worried for nothing... Roxas let himself fall back onto his bed, laptop still on his legs.

Now the guilt was really hitting him hard. Xigbar was telling the truth, he was a detective and he was injured trying to put a pedophile away. And after what Xigbar said to him, seeing the strange emotion in the man's eyes, he felt like crap because he assumed that the man was a pedophile and lied about it. Roxas thought about telling Xigbar the truth on MSN, but that was a matter best left to be talked about in person. Maybe he could arrange another meeting in a few days...


	3. Setting Up a Meeting

Xigbar yawned as he sleepily strolled to his kitchen that wasn't very far way from his bed, scratching his somewhat disheveled hair as he opened the refrigerator and tried to find something for breakfast even though it was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon. He grabbed a carton of eggs and checked the date, deeming it fitful to eat. As he pulled a pan from the small cabinet next to the refrigerator, the day before yesterday's events came in his mind as he turned the small stove that set to the left of the refrigerator. The strange feeling he got when he was near Roxas bothered him. He cracked two eggs, though only the egg white, in the hot pan, and he almost wondered why he dreamed of Ventus, his old love, but when he thought about it, he knew the answer: he was lonely, but he didn't want to admit it. Not only did he get such a strange feeling when he was around Roxas, but since last night, he had felt a tightness in his chest that mirrored the feeling from almost a year ago. He could totally understand Roxas' suspicion, but at the same time, it hurt. It hurt have someone think he was a pedophile when he worked so hard to put away people like that and keep children safe. It made him feel horrible to see the victims of rape, but the children... the children who were so innocent and barely knew what was happening and who were going to have their lives ruined up forever; seeing them made his drive to put pedophiles away strong, yet it made him so angry that someone could do that. Now someone he just met was non-verbally assuming that he was a pedophile, and lied about it to his face... but he couldn't be mad at Roxas, he didn't know the whole story and he was beautiful, like Ventus.

He sighed as the eggs sizzled, trying to find something to turn them over with. He managed to find a spatula in the nearby drawer, flipping his eggs and over just in time; They were slightly scorched, but he didn't mind. He sighed; he missed Ventus so much... and looking at Roxas was like looking at a ghost. Ventus had been the most wonderful person he had ever met, not only his childhood friend, but his lover and boyfriend... but he was gone forever. He couldn't dwell on it. What he didn't get about Roxas was why the kid was so suspicious, even after he showed him the photo. Maybe Roxas was just a overly cautious person, but his chest still felt tight when he thought of either of them.

Xigbar laid his cooked egg whites on a plate he took from the cabinets above him, finding a fork in the same drawer he found the spatula. He slowly began to eat his eggs. He didn't know why he wanted too, but maybe he could get the kid to open up to him. There was something in his heart driving him to. His eggs were finished quickly and he placed the plate and fork in the sink before he adjusted his eyepatch, moving towards the top left corner of the medium sized room, where his bed and dresser were.

His simple bed consisted of two mattresses atop each other, a pillow, and a thick, green and yellow striped blanket, with his small dresser sitting a few feet away from it.

Xigbar made a decent amount of money and had an actual bed, but he usually slept in his hammock in his art room, or on his makeshift bed. What money he did have, he used for food, rent, electric bills, and art supplies. He opened a drawer on his dresser, grabbing a white undershirt and a pair of worn blue jeans, slipping them on with another yawn. As Xigbar walked to the top right corner of his room, towards his bathroom, he undid the blue rubber band that held his hair in its ponytail. His dual toned hair spread out, covering his back as his bare feet hit the tile of the bathroom. Hopefully Roxas would send him a message on MSN and they could talk again. He wanted to convince Roxas he was a good guy, so maybe they could be... friends. He couldn't pinpoint why he wanted to be friends with Roxas, but he was troubled by that thought; to him, it seemed wrong. Maybe it was just his few years of experience telling him that even a feeling like his could turn into something disgusting but at the same time, it could be nothing..

Xigbar looked at himself in the small mirror, running a finger along his scar, the scar that reminded him of everything bad in his life, before he took his brush in hand. He brushed his hair and retied it with the rubber band and brushed his teeth, figuring he would head out to buy a few canvases, more paints, and some lunch. Roxas would be out of school by then so he would have enough time to get home and get on MSN by the time Xigbar was home from his errands.

Xigbar left his bathroom and walked to his couch, grabbing his messenger bag and button up shirt from it; shirt first, then messenger bag. He found a pair of used socks on the couch as well, slipping them on before he put his boots on which rested against the side of the small zebra print couch. He opened his messenger bag, and his wallet, cellphone, and house keys were indeed inside; he had a habit of loosing things, from his keys to his underwear. He was at his door and he left his apartment, passing a few rooms in the long hallway, heading towards the elevator; he was thankful the building had an elevator since he lived on the sixth floor. Xigbar pressed the down button and only had to wait a few seconds before he stepped into the elevator, yawning more as it took him to the first floor. He strolled out of his building and into the sunlight, groaning at the bright light and the loud noises city. It was afternoon yet after lunch time, so there wasn't a lot of people on the streets as he turned away from the Train Station that was up the hill, heading towards the nearby Tram Stop, hoping to get a tram to the central part of Twilight Town where most of the shops were.

He didn't pass many people as he made his way towards the Tram stop a few blocks down from his house, hands in his jean pockets as his boots made contact with the beige pavement. He needed blue, yellow, red, brown, and white paint and around four canvases. He just felt like painting a picture of Ventus, just to make himself feel a little less lonely after he thought about the blond. And he kept thinking of Roxas too. There was something about the kid... and it didn't have to do with how much he resembled Ventus, but he couldn't place the feeling. A tram approached from the the Train Station, and he got on it, flashing the tram's driver his year long travel card that was a flat rate for a whole year of tram and train travel. There were only five people on the tram, and he sat down near the front of the tram that shifted and began to slowly lurch into movement. Twilight Town was a somewhat small town, though large compared to others, so trams were the easiest way to get around.

It took around twenty minutes to reach the bustling center of town, and Xigbar got off there, already knowing where he was going. He had been to the art shop so many times that he knew the directions by heart. When one got off the tram at the circular plaza, take the path straight across from the tram stop, and continue down until one reached the fifth right, then walk down the path until you saw the blue sign. The first time he tried to find the art shop, he got so confused that he ended up back in front of his house; Twilight Town had a lot of alleyways and shortcuts between streets. Now that he knew the way, it only took around ten minutes to reach the shop.

As Xigbar opened the door, a bell chimed softly and a thin woman dressed in a black dress with a fur trimmed collar that exposed some of her cleavage. She gave a tiny smile at her regular customer.

"Greetings Xigbar. Come for more canvases and paints, I suppose?"

"Hey, Lulu. And yep, used my others up already," Xigbar chuckled as me moved to his left, immediately going for two medium sized canvases, a small canvas, and a large canvas that nearly reached five feet tall.

"As usual. Take your time, I'm going to run to the back for a minute." Lulu said in her soft, serious voice. Xigbar was her most frequent customer, always coming in for paints, canvases, colored pencils, and sketchbooks; he used those items up like water. She was a fan of his artwork as well. He just brought so much emotion and movement into his art... it was amazing. Her long dress drug against the floor as she moved behind the counter towards the break room so she could grab a drink of water; She trusted Xigbar not to do anything.

"Alrighty." Xigbar said as he moved to the other wall where the paints were. Lulu's art shop was small, but it got a lot of business from the people who went to it, including him. He usually was constantly here to buy art supplies, nearly every one or two weeks, whether he needed a sketchbook or paints, but recently, his suppressed loneliness had been getting to him and his drawings lacked their usual... passion, like his heart wasn't in them. Maybe doing this painting of Ventus might help him, give him a chance to remember the good memories he had and get his drive back. He reached to the top shelf, easily reaching the bottle of brown paint, holding the canvases under his right arm. Lulu walked into the room as he got a bottle of blue paint, then white, red, and yellow. He thought about whether he needed new paintbrushes, but he remembered that he had gotten a new pack of them around three weeks ago, so he turned around and headed towards the counter, passing a few rows of supplies.

"Is this all you need?" Lulu asked as she began to ring up the canvases, while Xigbar pulled out his wallet.

"Yep, plannin' on doin' a painting of a old friend." Xigbar gave a half-hearted grin laced with traces loneliness; it was hard to speak about Ventus, even to someone like Lulu, who understood the deepest of feelings and offered wise, helpful advice and knew about his past with the blond.

"That's wonderful. I'd love to see it when its completed." Lulu nodded."I already know who it will be."

"Yeah... Was thinkin' about him recently." Xigbar admitted. Was he that obvious? Lulu placed the paints in a plastic bag.

"I understand. Your total will be fifty-seven dollars and forty cents."

"Alright." Xigbar muttered as he pulled out a fifty and a ten munny bill, and a few pieces of munny, handing them to the much shorter woman, taking the bag and placing it in his messenger bag.

"Come back when you need more, and to show that painting," Lulu winked as Xigbar grabbed the canvases and held them under his arm.

"Thanks, Lulu." Xigbar called as he turned and left the shop, stomach rumbling. He got his supplies so now he needed some lunch... Even now, he could think about Ventus, but talking about him was a different story. It was like Ventus' name just wouldn't come out of his mouth, liked it was locked behind a cage. It was because he didn't want to remember anything painful. Thinking about Ventus was okay, but anything deeper brought up memories he would rather not visualize, but when he thought about Roxas at the same time.. it was a little less worse.

He knew his favorite Chinese restaurant was around the corner near his house, so he figured he run by the small restaurant for lunch before returning home.

II~XIII~II~XIII

"So, are you heading home, Roxas? You should come hang with us, maybe I can even set you up with a lady."

"No thanks, Hayner." Roxas laughed as one of his friends was trying another futile attempt at getting him a girlfriend."I'm gonna head home. Are you coming too Sora?"

"Yeah..." Sora pouted, clinging to his boyfriend, Riku's arm." stuck me with a extra credit project to help pull my History grade up."

"That sucks. Well, I gotta head off you three. See ya!" Hayner shouted as he dashed off in the opposite directions, stopping to yell at Pence to hurry up, who stood near the school's stairs.

"Aww, I wish Riku could come home with us..." Sora grinned, making suggestive puppy dog eyes at the silver haired male, who just shook his head and smirked.

"I can't, Sora. I got a project to work on as well and I have to run to the store to get some rice for dinner tonight."

"But you can work with me!"

"You mean do all the work. No thanks." Riku said with a laugh, Roxas joining in.

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed.

"Well, I gotta go now Sora, see you." Riku gave Sora a kiss on the forehead, earning a kiss and a beaming grin."See you later, Roxas."

Roxas and Sora waved as Riku headed in the direction Hayner took, towards the center of town where grocery store was located. The real reason Roxas declined his offer was that he wanted to talk with Xigbar on MSN. He wouldn't say anything about him looking Xigbar up in the sex offender registry or about the article; Xigbar would certainly get offended. He was going to try and ask some casual questions to see if he would get a hint about whether Xigbar was a pedophile or not. He was starting to seriously doubt that idea but he just wanted to make sure. Maybe it was because he wanted to be friends with the man, but he wasn't sure.

"C'mon Sora, let's hurry home." Roxas said as he passed a group of teenagers chattering loudly as he headed down the sidewalk with Sora running to catch up. He didn't want to miss Xigbar if he was online.

"So, how'd your date with that Xigbar guy go?" Sora asked innocently with a grin, but he yelped when Roxas slapped the back of his head.

"It wasn't a date, Sora. And it went good, for your information. I got his MSN so we can chat."

"Better not send him nude pictures of- Yowch!" Roxas' face erupted in crimson and he slapped the back Sora's head again, this time a little harder.

"That's gross, Sora! I wouldn't do that, plus, I barely know him!"

"Sorry..." Sora gave a sheepish grin. "But are you sure? Seemed like a date to me."

Roxas stopped and blinked at his brother.

"Shut up, Sora."

Roxas huffed and continued down the hill towards the Tram Common, his twin trailing behind him with a grin on his face.

"Well, are you gonna tell me what happened?" Sora questioned. Sometimes his twin brother was too uptight and needed to learn how to take a joke.

"I guess." Roxas said, rolling his eyes even though he gave a smile. "Me and Xigbar talked about his old job and some random questions that was it."

"That's cool. Me and Riku saw an animated movie and kissed," Sora laughed. Riku had been his boyfriend for nearly a year, and they often went to movies and places together. He couldn't get why Roxas got so flustered over his naked picture joke. He had said many jokes like that to Roxas and all in good fun, but he never reacted like that. Maybe his brother had a bit of crush... He giggled at the thought, earning a weird stare from Roxas.

They stopped at the edge of a sidewalk with a small crowd of people as a tram trailed by slowly, and when it passed, the walking signal on the pole next to them changed to green, showing that they were safe to walk across the street to the other side from where they went go straight across the large plaza towards their house, people passing them by. Roxas gave a soft sigh as Sora strolled along happily, humming some random song. He hoped that his Dad would be home today so he could at least say hello to him. It was a little depressing to hardly ever have their father home; he was constantly busy, whether it was business trips or long hours. He loved his mother dearly, but it would be nice to see his father...

Passing by the archway, Roxas and Sora kept going down the street, past the first four streets and coming to a stop on the fifth street where their house set on the corner. As they walked up to the door, Roxas pulled out his house keys, unlocking the door for both of them.

"Mom, we're home!" Sora announced as he ran into the room, heading straight for the kitchen for a snack.

"Welcome back, you two." Tifa greeted her sons as she walked down the stairs, a basket of dirty laundry in her hands.

"Hey, Mom," Roxas stated as he hurried up the stairs to his room; he didn't want to miss Xigbar if the man was online.

Tifa couldn't resist letting out a soft laugh; teenagers, always in their rooms.

Roxas stepped into his room, closing the door and setting his backpack next to his desk. Stretching, he slipped his sneakers off and sat them next to his backpack, sitting down in his computer chair as he pressed the power button on his laptop. He wiped his forehead, feeling sweat bead on his pale skin from the summer heat and he realized he hadn't opened the window. He stood, moving to his right, grabbing the window's latch and turning it, letting the window swing outwards; there windows were a little different, and then swung out from the left. As he sat down, his computer screen blinked on, and he maneuvered on his finger on the touch-pad of his laptop, clicking the blue MSN icon. The box popped up and he typed in his email and password, letting it load as he logged in. Roxas' heart began to race in his chest and he blushed when he thought of Sora's earlier comment. So he was excited.. that didn't mean anything! He still had a slight suspicion of Xigbar, but-

"_Don't send him naked pictures-"_

"Stupid Sora..." Roxas huffed, forcing his thoughts to a halt. His computer made a ringing tone, and a box popped up.

_Would you like to accept TheFreeshooter as a friend?_

He clicked yes, and Xigbar's avatar popped up on his list of friends; it was a black bat. He thought that man's username was fitting considering his background as a detective, which meant he was most likely good with guns. His avatar had a green ring around it, which meant he was available. He looked to his window when he heard a peculiar bird call, and he gasped. On his window perched a bright azure bird with a magnificent plume of snow white feathers atop its head, intelligent green eyes, it's feathers speckled with yellow dots, both its wings bathed in the same color, and a tail of striking feathers equally as white as it's plume. It gave a musical chirp, staring at him briefly before turning at the sky. Roxas stared at the beautiful bird as it preened its wings, and abruptly, it hopped onto his desk, ruffling its tail feathers. His breath hitched; he didn't want to scare it away as it hopped a step closer, looked at him, then it settled down, sitting half way between he and the edge of his desk. What was he going to do? He had never seen a bird like this one before and he didn't want it to fly away just yet. Carefully and quietly, he took his sketchbook book out and began a quick sketch of the bird. His computer gave another tone and he saw a message pop up.

**R u there, kid? **

It was Xigbar.

Roxas stopped his sketch for a moment, typing slowly.

_Just a second, I'm trying to draw this bird..._

**Kewl, lol. I'll be here.**

Roxas' pencil scratched on the paper as he finished the bird's plume and tail feathers, nearly done. The colors were so vibrant and amazing... he was sure he wouldn't forget them when he colored the sketch; he would never forget the bird. If he set up another meeting with Xigbar, hopefully he could show the man the drawing. He wished he could take a photo but that would likely scare the bird away. The bird didn't move an inch as Roxas finished the drawing, curling the tail feathers just like the bird in front of him.

"A-ha.." Roxas mumbled to himself as he set the sketchbook down, completely satisfied with his drawing. He thought the bird would fly away when he began typing but it only moved a few tiny steps away.

_I'm finished, Xigbar._

**Kewl. How r u?**

_I'm fine. You?_

**Doing cool, kid. Went and got some paints.**

_If you don't mind me asking, what of?_

**A old friend.**

_Ah. And could you stop calling me kid? I'm seventeen._

**Gotcha... kiddo, lol.**

Roxas scowled, raising a eyebrow; he could just imagine Xigbar chuckling.

_Xigbar.._

**I won't, hehe. So, wanna do random q's? Or my job, ya seemed interested.**

_Sure... It's just that I've never talked to a detective. _

**No prob. Anything specific?**

Roxas thought for a moment, looking over at the bird which inched away before looking at him. What to ask now? He had already checked the article out and searched Xigbar up, so what now? Personally, he was sure Xigbar was a good person, but one could never be too careful.

_How long had everyone been there? _

**Snow had been there before me, Cap even before him, Zell was new, Kiros same time as me and Lightning was there a a bit before me.**

_Oh okay... Who was your captain?_

**Guy name Ward, and he was super tall. So, random q. Do u have a pet?**

_Ah... No, but I wanted one at one time. Maybe a dog..._

Roxas paused as the tiny message box that said a person was typing came up for Xigbar, and he took a moment to look at the bird that as soon as he looked, hopped away a inch, staring at him. What a strange little bird. Every time he looked, the bird moved like it was suspicious of him. He gave a small laugh as another bird outside squawked and the bird sitting on his desk whirled around, seemingly angry; strange. He stretched again as text from Xigbar appeared.

**Kewl. I used to want a snake, lol. **

_Hey, did you live anywhere before Twilight Town?_

**Nope. Lived here. **

_Well, a random question for you... what's your current job?_

**I sell art sometimes. Main stuff is part-time delivery around here. Kewl hours, good pay, and time for art. ;P**

_That's pretty nice. Want to do.. random questions now?_

**Sure, ahaha. Fav type movie?**

_I like comedies or science fiction. You?_

**Horror and action, lol. U read?**

_Yeah, I like to read a lot. _

**Not me, haha. I just do art, liek working out, listen to music, and play video games.**

_Same really. I do art and play video games. I do poetry some. I listen to music a lot, and talk with friends or go out with them. You work out?_

**Yea. Got so used to doing it during training and stuff, just do it to keep shape and habit. Kewl. I don't got many friends, ahaha. **

_You don't? _

**Nah, lol. It's cool. brb, needs a snack ;p**

Roxas sighed as he took the chance to stand; he was somewhat hungry as well and he hadn't eaten since the school lunch. Hopefully while he went to get a snack, Sora wouldn't sneak in and read his messages. They hadn't talked about anything wrong but he still didn't like when his twin peeked. It was a invasion of privacy. He yawned as he exited his room and made sure to close the door, heading down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"Hiya, Roxas!" Sora greeted him cheerfully from the living room, the brunette sitting in front of the TV like a small child."Mom had to run to the store to get some stuff for dinner. How's the chat going? No bad pictures?"

Roxas sighed,"Hey. And no pictures at all, Sora. I swear..."

"What about when you two start dating?" Sora giggled.

"Don't make me hit you a third time, Sora." Roxas stated as he opened the refrigerator, searching for a possible snack, but he didn't find anything he might have wanted; he didn't want cereal, or a sandwich, or anything... Maybe just some chips. He moved to his left and opened the first cabinet above him, moving a few cracker and tea boxes aside to see where the chips were. They weren't there, which meant Sora or his father probably moved them. He looked in the next two cabinets but he was unsuccessful.

"Sora, did you move the chips again?" Roxas called out.

"Maybe.. I think they're in the cabinet above the stove..."

Roxas went to where his twin specified, opening the cabinets; the chips were exactly where his brother left them. Taking them and sitting them on the counter, Roxas moved to the cabinet next to where the chips were, grabbing a while bowl with a blue stripe. He opened the bag and poured some into the bowl before putting the bag of chips in the _right_ cabinet. Grabbing it, he popped a chip into his mouth as he headed back to his room.

"Don't send-" Sora was about to make the joke again but he was cut off.

"Shut up, Sora!"

Sora began laughing, falling back onto his back at his twin's reaction; he could just imagine Roxas blushing. Roxas hurried to his room to avoid anymore jokes.

As he stepped into his room, door closing, he saw a message pop onto the screen. Then he looked at his desk, where the blue bird was still sitting on his desk, though it was perched on the edge. He watched as he looked at him with those intense eyes before flying out of his window, plume and tail feathers ruffling in the wind. He got a drawing of the bird, but he wished it hadn't left; it was beautiful, but, it was a wild animal. It was free to come and go. It was odd, it trusted him enough to sit near him, yet every time he looked at it, it moved away. Roxas looked at the message.

**U there, kid?**

He quickly sat and began typing.

_Yeah, went and got a snack too. _

**Lol, thought you left, haha.**

_No, I'm still here. So... have you been to any place besides Twilight Town?_

**Yep. Hollow Bastion on a few cases and to Atlantica to visit my bro. You?**

_Hollow Bastion to visit my cousin. You have a brother?_

**Yeah my younger bro Braig. Don't see him lots, he's a fisher so he's gone all the time.**

_Wow... I've never been to that city before. Is it nice?_

**I guess. I like Twilight Town better, lol.**

_Haha. What's your favorite place here?_

**Sunset Terrace. Like to sit on the hill.**

_I don't go there often._

**U should. Sunset looks pretty awesome from there, haha. **

_Yeah, maybe so. _

**Random q for u.. What's your dream job?**

_Hmm... that's a tough one. Either a marine biologist, professional artist, or something like that... Haven't thought about it. Have you ever shot anyone?_

**Thos are pretty awesome. Ah, a bunch of times. Perps who tried to get away, protect my partner, man.. more times than I can count, lol.**

_Xigbar... would you be willing to meet up with me again, later this week maybe?_

**Sure, kid. I'm free on Wednesday and Thursday.**

_I'm free on Wednesday also, school's out because of a holiday. _

**Kewl. Wanna meet at the lake in the park?**

_The hidden lake, right?_

**Yep.**

_Yeah, that'll be good with me. Well, I have to go now, it's almost dinner._

**Gotcha kiddo. See ya Wednesday!**

_Bye, Xigbar._

Right after Roxas typed his message, a box popped up, signaling Xigbar was offline now. He gave a small sigh as he leaned back, his heart beating with excitement he wasn't aware of. Stretching his arms out, he took his sketchbook and flipped the cover back over the sketch to make sure he didn't get anything on it before it was colored. He closed MSN out on his computer, looking at the clock; it read five forty-six p.m. Standing, he shut his laptop off with a yawn, looking at the sunset of orange, purple, and pink before he went ahead and closed his window. He looked out over Twilight Town, blinking slowly.

After talking to the man again, Roxas was sure he wasn't suspicious anymore. If Xigbar had been a pedophile, he would have tried something when they were instant messaging, he was sure of it, but nothing happened. Just a composed conversation between two people. He felt the slightest bit foolish when he thought about how suspicious he was but he best forget about it until Wednesday; he was definitely going to apologize for thinking Xigbar was a pedophile and lying; saying it online and not face to face would have made him a coward and he didn't want to considered as a coward nor did he want to offend the scarred man, at all. When he looked down in his heart, he was excited to have a possible friendship with Xigbar. He gave a sigh as he left his room, passing Sora's door.

"Hiya, Roxas!"

Roxas jumped at his twin's sudden voice, whirling around.

"Sora, don't scare me like that..." Roxas scowled.

"Big baby," Sora stuck his tongue out, grinning."I bet you got a date."

Roxas just walked away without saying a word, Sora jogging behind him. He knew Sora was a joker but this was a bit much. He wanted to be friends with Xigbar, not date. He blushed, trying to keep the thoughts away; they weren't disturbing but it was wrong and well, it was wrong... He just gave up on thinking as he walked down the stairs, Sora following him like a lost puppy. He knew that his father wasn't home and that irritated him. Was work more important than his family? He didn't think is father thought that, but that's what it appeared to be and that bothered him. And when he was home, his mother and father fought often; nothing loud or violent, but he could always hear it... but he had his brother, so he wasn't so lonely. As he strolled into the kitchen, he saw his mother cooking pasta and he could smell the delicious herbs and tomato sauce wafting around the room. There was a surprise for them, and they collectively raised there eyebrows at their father, Cloud, who turned to them with a weary smile

'"I was wondering where you two were." Tifa said, giving her sons a grin.

"Dad!" Sora ran up and hugged his father tight, Roxas coming in for a short hug after his twin.

"It's good to finally see you all. Work's been such a hassle..." Cloud sighed as he sat down at the table.

Roxas and Sora gave a smile as they grabbed their plates from the table, moving to the stove. Each one of them spooned pasta onto their plate, Sora eagerly staring at the steaming spagetti as they sat down again.

"So, did you two have a good day?" Tifa asked as she got her own plate of spagetti."And Roxas, I didn't get the chance to ask you about your second little meeting with... what did you say his name was?

Roxas raised a eyebrow at his mother. Strange... she hardly ever forgot anything, let alone a name. "His name is Xigbar, Mom. And it went great, but we had to cut it off short since Xigbar got called into work suddenly."

"Who's this Xigbar?" Cloud asked with no emotion on his face but concern in his blue eyes.

"A cool artist I met in the park." Roxas explained, not wanting to give up any more information about the events. He didn't like to lie to his parents but he didn't want them to find out what he thought; that would ruin Xigbar.

Cloud considered the information at hand. He didn't like his son meeting strangers in the park, even if he was around other people."And how old is this Xigbar?"

"He's twenty seven," Roxas said, and he knew where this line of questioning was going."He used to be a police detective."

"I see..." Cloud nodded."What does he look like?"

Roxas nearly hit his head on the table; first his mom, now his dad. Why did they have to be so protective? He could understand being protective of someone you loved but this was a bit much... He got why his Dad was asking about Xigbar's appearance but it almost sounded to him like his father was trying to find out to determine whether the man was bad; appearance didn't matter with pedophiles, they could be anyone.

"He's like over six foot five, he has black hair in streaks of grey in a ponytail, he has one gold eye, a eyepatch, and a large scar on on his right cheek," Roxas sighed.

"Hmm... He seems creepy, even if he used to be a cop. I don't think you should-" Cloud stated. His father might as well be stereotyping Xigbar by his appearance, something that wasn't even his fault. In fact, he _was_ stereotyping the man and he didn't like that.

"He's not creepy." Roxas stated angrily, halfway finished with his pasta. The table went silent, and his twin gave him a knowing look.

"He seems like it. What if he lied? What if it's just so he can do something to you?" Cloud asked with eyes narrowed.

"He didn't. And I know because he was in the paper nearly two years ago when he got injured." Roxas' brow furrowed, setting his fork down next to his plate.

"He was?"

"Yes. I saw it on the Twilight Town Post's site." Roxas sighed.

"I still don't like it." Cloud answered finally after a brief period of silence.

"Neither do I." Tifa agreed, and Roxas got even angrier.

"He's a good guy. Stop treating him like the criminals he worked hard to put away." Roxas found the words pouring out his mouth, his guilt twitching inside him and he felt like he was going to vomit; he was being hypocritical. At first, he though Xigbar was a pedophile out to get him and now, he was defending the man against his father and mother who thought the same, something he found to surely be a lie. "I know you're trying to protect but I'm fine. I'm going to my room."

Sora, Tifa, and Cloud were silent as Roxas rose and pushed his chair in, face filled with irritation and hidden guilt that shone in his cerulean eyes. As Sora took his twin's plate and scraped the leftover pasta onto his even though he had worry on his face, they heard Roxas stomp up the stairs. Something was up with his brother... and had had a feeling that it had to do with Xigbar. He knew in his heart that Roxas hadn't been attacked or had something said to him. Maybe it had to do with the jokes he made about Xigbar and him going on dates? Normally his brother wouldn't act so flustered or blush so hard with a joke like that... He was concerned and wanted to ask his twin what was wrong but he figured he should give him some time alone.

As soon as Roxas closed the door to his room, he flopped on his bed back first, scowling. He wished everyone would quit thinking bad or weird things about Xigbar... including himself. When he thought Xigbar's name or about his smile, he got this weird feeling that resonated throughout his body and made his heart twitch; Sora's jokes weren't helping either. Roxas blushed at the thought. Xigbar and he weren't going on a date, it was just a friendly meeting. But he had to admit, Xigbar was handsome and good looking, funny, cool, tall, strong... He flinched when he found himself drooling, wiping away the thick substance quickly; he... he wasn't attracted to Xigbar or anything...Sighing, he turned on his side, facing the wall. He ran a hand through his hair, guilt in his mind. He couldn't wait for Wednesday, not just because he was going to see Xigbar, but he was going to admit his assumption and maybe get rid of the hidden guilt twisting his gut into a knot.

Roxas lay on his bed silently and he heard a door close; it must have been Sora. For some reason, his parents non-verbally assuming Xigbar was bad got him angry and bothered even though he himself did at one point. He sighed, fidgeting furiously. He hated lying more than anything and he hated that he lied to Xigbar; the words and his actions kept circling his mind like a movie on repeat. He wished that it was Tuesday so that tomorrow he would wake up and be able to go see Xigbar, but Roxas had to calm himself. It was only one day of school until the meeting...


	4. Admitting Something Painful

Roxas sleepily opened his eyes to morning sunlight filtering into his room, and he gave a grin as he sat up. It was Wednesday, which meant no school, he had another meeting with Xigbar, and he had to admit that he was excited and looking forward to it. He yawned, stretching when he got to his feet before he adjusted his pale green pajama bottoms that had become twisted during the night and the button was to the side side instead of to the front. The blond walked over to the window, opening it. He couldn't place why but he just had a good feeling about the day; he felt everything was going to go well and he would have a great time with Xigbar, not to mention get all the guilt off his chest. He had a amazing feeling in general. He wasn't suspicious at all and suddenly, he was excited and happy too see Xigbar when yesterday, he was still suspicious of him. It was like he had a total change of heart... and he liked the change.

Smiling, he moved to his dresser and pulled out some beige shorts and a lime green t-shirt; he realized the color of his shirt was one of Xigbar's favorite colors, and he bit his lip to hide his smile. He dressed quickly, moving to his desk to check if the sketchbook on his desk had the picture of the peculiar bird he saw yesterday.

He flipped it to the page and the blond grinned at the picture, closing the sketchbook. Only his cellphone went in his pocket, knowing that Sora and his Mom should be at home all day; his mother only worked Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays as a bartender during the night. The blond decided to wear his sandals since it was hotter than usual. Roxas moved to the wall next to his desk, opening the door to the bathroom he shared with his twin. The blond hurried to brush his teeth and wash his face, nearly getting toothpaste on his shirt which he would _not _abide. Not only did he hate getting his things dirty, but he didn't want to stain this particular shirt.

He passed his mother's room, hearing snoring; his mother was sleeping late, which meant a busy night at the bar. Usually she was up by nine but it was strange that she was still sleeping and it was nearly eleven o'clock but he didn't mind; his mom needed the rest.

Roxas' sketchbook was in his hand when he left his room and stepped briskly down the stairs, tears beading in his eyes when he yawned but he wiped them away. His eyebrows raised when Sora ran up to him with a suggestive grin and Roxas scowled, pushing his brother back playfully. He already knew what his unusually annoying twin was going to say.

"Don't start with me," Roxas stated when his brother stuck out his tongue out.

"I won't say that you're going on a date with Xigbar." Sora said almost loudly in Roxas' ear, giggling before he skipped exaggeratedly into their living room towards the TV with a grin.

"Shut up, Sora, Mom's here!" Roxas whispered back, moving over to his brother who sat on the floor. If Sora told that joke one more time, he was going to slap him, _with _force, even though the brunette was joking. He didn't need his mother accidentally hearing the words 'date' and 'Xigbar' in the same sentence. That would immediately send the wrong message and get both Xigbar and he in major trouble, as well as potentially cost Xigbar his reputation and life.

"Oh, right, right..." Sora hushed himself, looking away sheepishly.

"It's fine, just... keep quiet. Nothing's going on between us, you know that." Roxas gave his brother a smile."He's just a friend."

"Suuuurreee... Haha, I know, Roxas." Sora grinned right back, poking Roxas' face.

"Tell Mom I..." Roxas trailed off, realizing he didn't say anything about his meeting with Xigbar. What excuse was he going to make now? He thought for a moment. His Mom may be suspicious so she might check his whereabouts if he said he was going out with a friend... Then it came to him.

"Tell Mom I went to the Clocktower to draw and to get a new notebook." He hated lying but... he almost had too. He had to admit, he didn't want to stop seeing Xigbar.

"Okay. See you later, bro." Sora waved as Roxas walked to the front door, waving back to him briefly before he left his home.

The bright sunlight hit Roxas' eyes and he had to shield them, groaning; he hated to be blinded by sunlight. As he walked down the sidewalk, he blinked his eyes, trying to make them adjust to the light faster but they went at their own pace, clearing when he was halfway to the arch. Flexing his shoulders some to shake off any access sleepiness, Roxas casually strolled, relaying the directions to the park in his head just because: in the Tram Common he would take a right before the path to the Station, follow the sidewalk past the few shops, then he would be at park and he could talk the secret passageway to the lake. His thoughts floated from the directions to his father's reaction on Monday; he scowled. He could somewhat understand that his father was being protective but.. it just bothered him how he talked about Xigbar. Even though he had been suspicious of the man, he never once though he was creepy. The only creepy people in Twilight Town were Ansem, who ran the city's electricity, the old man who worked in the large library, and the principal at his school, Mr. Oshiro.

The tram's bells and the bustle and hustle of the city was all around Roxas as well as chattering teenagers and adults, free from work. The blond knew the park would be busy but he was sure no one would come to the hidden lake. Roxas gave another yawn as he walked, stopping along with a crowd of people as a tram passed by, then a group of cars before they were able to walk across the street. As soon as he was on the other side, Roxas went towards the right towards the path to the park; he knew the directions by heart. The teenager passed by the familiar coffee shop, bakery, and antique shop as well as apartments, and he realized something. He had no idea where Xigbar lived, if the man lived in a house or an apartment, but that was a question for another day.

His ears picked up the loud yells and shouts of children emanating from the park, and he smiled as he neared the park entrance, looking behind him before he ducked into the trees; he didn't want anyone to see where he was going and follow him, especially any children. He didn't want anyone to ruin the view or his meeting.

Roxas ducked under leafy tree branches as he passed bushes of bright green leaves and flowers sprinkled about, ranging from a light lavender to a deep red, some in patches, others alone. He kept walking carefully, to make sure no branches poked at his feet, the bottom of his shows thumping on the soft dirt and exposed roots of trees. After a few minutes of walking through the trees, he was able to here the gurgling of the lake as well as as frog's deep croaking and faint splashing. He didn't noticing the heavier footsteps behind him, the natural sounds making it appear to be his own, but he took a pause; then he heard them. His blue eyes got wide with fear. Someone followed him? How...? He checked to make sure no one saw him slip into the trees... He whirled around but he heard a voice as branched was pushed out of the way by the figure.

"Hiya, kid!"

It.. was Xigbar? Roxas let out a sigh of relief, clutching his chest as his heart pumped fast.

"Sorry 'bout the scare, kid." Xigbar gave a grin, walking a few steps and now Roxas could clearly see him."I didn't see ya through the trees."

"It's fine, Xigbar," Roxas gave a sheepish laugh.

"Nice shirt, kiddo." Xigbar chuckled, staring at his favorite color in the form of a shirt.

"Thanks, Xigbar." Roxas had to stop himself; he almost, out of the blue, said that he wore it just for Xigbar... which he did not. He wore the shirt because he liked it and it was comfortable.. He felt himself blush and he was glad Xigbar didn't see as the latter walked past him before turning back.

"Wanna walk next to me?"

"Sure." Roxas nodded as he jogged to catch up with the man who walked faster simply because he had long legs and took longer strides. As the two artists stepped through the forest, more sunlight filtering through the trees which meant they were nearly at the lake, Roxas gave a smile and Xigbar caught this, not able to resist chuckling softly at the teenager's happy expression, which was a nice alternate from the kid's earlier suspicious looks. He hoped the kid wasn't suspicious of him anymore; he hated feeling like he was a criminal. Maybe Roxas would even tell him the truth about what he thought, but even if the blond didn't, he wouldn't dwell on it; Roxas was just a cautious kid and probably didn't want to offend him. He grunted when the light hit him, both of them stepping into the clearing where the lake resided. As Roxas walked further and sat down in front of the lake on the soft grass, Xigbar took a minute to stretch before he sat down next to the teenager, though he left a few feet worth of space between them; he didn't want to make the kid uncomfortable.

"Xigbar," Roxas let out a breath as he addressed the man. Abruptly, he felt anxiety and nervousness slightly tighten around his chest and he resisted openly scowling. He could do this. He was just going to go out, say he was sorry, and explain everything. It was the right thing to do. He felt Xigbar look at him and he exhaled again, slowly, trying to calm himself. "I'm going to go ahead and say this now... And I hope that I don't make you too angry."

"Say what?" Xigbar asked, but he already guess what it was about: how suspicous the boy had been and about his lie.

"Well..Yesterday, I got to thinking and I... I just don 't know, I thought you were a... you know... a _pedophile_ and that you were just out to get me_._... And I know that I lied to you and I'm really, really sorry, Xigbar. I didn't want to make you upset or anything because of your past with putting pedophiles away, but I probably just made you angry explaining this, but I had to say it. I felt so horrible and guilty that I didn't say anything before. I'm sorry, Xigbar. I don't think that any more, at all. I was wrong... I was totally wrong. If you want to get mad it me or walk away, just do it..." Roxas gulped, pulling at the bottom of his shirt as he steeled himself for imminent anger directed at him, heart sinking and the good feeling disappearing. He almost wanted to say that he looked Xigbar up in a sex offender registry, but that would be extremely offensive to the man, probably enough to make the taller man curse at him or walk away immediately; more importantly, it would hurt Xigber sighed as he drew his legs close to him, hiding his face with his arms, something uncharacteristic of him. He scowled at himself, looking up again. He did the right thing by telling Xigbar what he used to think; he shouldn't be ashamed of telling the truth.. just about lying. Roxas frowned at himself, just waiting for a response from Xigbar, who didn't say a word as he processed what he heard.

The kid... really used to think he was a _pedophile.._

It felt like someone kicked him in the stomach to hear the actual words but... Xigbar just couldn't find himself mad at Roxas, even though he wanted to be the least bit angry. It reminded him of when he was with Ventus. Even when they used to have their tiny spats about his long hours or just something random because they were tired, he could never be truly mad with Ventus; any bad feeling he had went away after a few minutes and now it was like the feeling was replaying in his head. He could tell Roxas was remorseful and sorry he lied, and he could understand why the blond thought that; a random guy in the park, who doesn't exactly fit the picture of a regular person and some might say _creepy_, could definitely raise some warning signs. What made the kid stop thinking he was... a pedophile? Someone's suspicion's just didn't go away after a few days, in fact they usually grew, unless you had an extremely bad memory and he was pretty sure Roxas' memory was fine.

"Kid..." Xigbar paused for a moment, almost unsure of what to say. He touched his eyepatch briefly, before he looked at Roxas, meeting the teenager's gaze."I forgive ya, kid, and I ain't really mad. I sorta understand why you thought that and 'cause I just do... Well, I ain't gonna lie, and don't take that lying part to heart, but it sorta hurts to hear that considerin' my background. What made ya stop thinkin' I was a pedo?"

Roxas flinched at the question.

Xigbar just _had_ to ask.

Roxas didn't want to say why; it was even worse than just saying he _thought_ Xigbar was a pedophile. Should he lie again? No, that would only make things worse. The blond steeled himself a second time, hoping Xigbar wouldn't get mad... He couldn't believe Xigbar wasn't upset. What was keeping the man from being angry? But... maybe Xigbar just wasn't the type to get mad at people. He gulped and blinked slowly, looking at the lake, then at Xigbar, whose golden orb held an emotion he didn't recognize; there were so many swirling inside even though the man's face held no noticeable emotion.

"I...I.. I looked..." Roxas stuttered, mumbling under his breath as he trailed off.

"You can tell me, kid.. but if you don't want to, ya don't gotta." Xigbar assured Roxas, running a hand through his black and silver striped hair.

"No, I should go ahead and tell you. This is even worse than before, Xigbar, and I'm sorry for this too. I was stupid." Roxas sighed, shaking his head as he drew a breath, then he blurted it out, though his volume was quiet.

"I looked you up on a sex offender registry!"

Xigbar didn't say a word; it was like words wouldn't come out. He just had to sit there silently as Roxas buried his face in his arms, not meeting the man's gaze. The kid actually did something like that. He never thought that Roxas would do something like that. Look him up to see if he was a pedo? Just... it both irritated him and disgusted him, and he found himself a tiny bit angry. Even thinking of Ventus didn't quell what anger had rose; he never had someone think he was a pedophile before, let alone check and see after he gave them proof. The man exhaled slowly, but he he had to admit it... it took guts on Roxas' part to go out and say what he said. At the same time, Xigbar could imagine how guilty Roxas must have felt, even though it had only been a few days; guilt did that to people. He didn't quite know what to say. He watched Roxas look up, but only at the lake, and he could see the remorse on the blond's face.

"Why'd ya decide to tell me this, kiddo?" Xigbar figured he would ask a question; he needed time to think of what to say. Usually he never was without words.

"I knew that if I didn't say anything and you found out later, it wouldn't be good for either of us... And it wasn't right for me not to say anything. I'm so sorry, Xigbar... I should have trusted you." Roxas repeated, shaking his head.

Neither of them said a word for a few minutes, which seemed like hours to Roxas.

Roxas expected Xigbar to yell at him, but when he didn't hear anything, he looked over at Xigbar who was staring off at the lake. His cerulean orbs held a note of shame as he opened his mouth to say something but he hesitated. Could Xigbar ever forgive him? He bit his lip and his heart began to beat faster, pounding in his chest. He didn't understand why he was making this much effort to befriend the artist and... start something. He barely knew the man yet he just... It was like he needed to, like he wanted so badly to trust the man because there was some sorta of chance that something good would happen to both of them. The blond realized that he had been gripping his shirt until his knuckles burned and he finally released the cloth, looking at the wrinkles blankly. Could he make this better?

"Xigbar, I trust you now. I really do..." Roxas murmured to himself softly. "Can you forgive me?"

He was returned with silence before Xigbar spoke up.

"I think that I can, kid. Least you told me what'cha did," Xigbar stated, and he felt his anger leaving his body with each breath he took. As he glanced at Roxas, he felt a strange feeling arise in his chest and he gave a surprised look then a scowl.

"I should go now, Xigbar-" Roxas began, getting to his feet, but he was stopped by Xigbar, who suddenly turned towards him.

"You don't gotta go, kid. I'm willin' to forget about this. Sorta start over." Xigbar said."You?"

The words came out of Xigbar's mouth before he could stop himself.. but he wasn't sure he would have. What Roxas did wasn't necessarily right, nor all that horrible, even if it made him ache inside. The foreign, almost forgotten feeling in his chest was compelling him to forgive the blond, and to make things right. There was a reason he said that but he didn't have a clue what that reason was; maybe he just wanted to be friend with Roxas... Even though he felt bad, acting like it was the end of the world wouldn't make Roxas' feel any less guiltier or ashamed, and he had to admit that he didn't want Roxas to feel awful. Maybe it was because the blond artist reminded him of Ventus.. or maybe it was because he just didn't.

"Are you sure, Xigbar?" Roxas asked, and he was surprised; he thought Xigbar would let him walk away without another word... or a few more than colorful names.

"It's cool, kid." Xigbar shrugged, half watching Roxas sit down again. Roxas wasn't sure what he should say.

"Remember when I said that I was drawing that bird.. when we were talking online?" Roxas started tentatively, a frowning gracing his beautiful features.

"Yeah, I do."

"Do you want to see the picture?"

"Sure."

Roxas responded by grabbing his sketchbook, which had rested beside him the entire time, flipping it to the page where the said bird's picture lay. For a moment, he had to stare at the bird's eyes and he found that they resembled his even though it was only a drawing. However he drew it, the bird had eyes filled with such intensity, much like his own. The blond handed the older male the sketchbook, and he nearly blushed when his hand was close to Xigbar's. He.. was willing to start over, like Xigbar said; it was better for them. Roxas watched silently as Xigbar studied his drawing, and he could see the artist trace the lines with his index finger.

Xigbar examined at the strange bird with interest, and all he could focus on the bird's eyes. It was amazing how much emotion the kid put into the drawing itself, the eyes especially. Roxas' eyes were like the birds: beautifully intense. He let out a sigh as the words _beautiful_ and _Roxas_ appeared in his head. He shouldn't be thinking anything like that but.. maybe he could let it go just this one time. His golden orb followed each line of the drawing, from the bird's plume, to it's tail feathers.

"What color was the bird, kid?" Xigbar asked, looking up from the drawing.

"It's feathers were bright blue, and it had yellow spots... the other feathers were white and it's green eye were like nothing I've ever seen..." Roxas spoke in a soft tone, almost like he was in a daze as he recounted the bird's appearance.

Xigbar stared at the drawing, and it was like he was locked in a staring contest with the bird. Abruptly, the man was suddenly filled with a sense of determination. He had to make whatever relationship they had work; he just had too, no matter what. Something was driving him to make up for what just happened, to make everything better again, to make Roxas smile again. As he looked over at the tiny blond, he frowned at the boy's expression which still held negative emotions.

"Roxas, kid, I totally forgive ya." Xigbar suddenly stated, and Roxas looked up with confusion in his eyes. "It don't matter to me what'cha did, and I don't like seein' ya all sad and stuff, y'know? Smile for me, kiddo. And just so ya know, you're not stupid."

Roxas just stared at Xigbar, mouth slightly agape.

Only his parents and his brother had ever been so caring towards him. He didn't in the slightest expect to here anything like what Xigbar said.. from anyone, especially said man. For so reason at all, Roxas began to chuckle softly and it quickly morphed into a full blown laugh, and soon enough, Xigbar began laughing with him. They laughed heartily and Roxas figured anyone who heard them must think an insane person escaped from an asylum... or two people were simply deranged. He watched though lidded eyes as tears pricked at them, laughing his heart out and grinning at the same time as Xigbar let himself fall back onto the grass, laughing just as hard as him. He... didn't even know why they were laughing! It was completely random, but he didn't mind. In fact, he felt so much better all of a sudden; Xigbar's words.. made him feel better. Xigbar clutched at his side as he cracked up, not caring if anyone heard them or if he didn't have a reason for laughing; all that mattered was that he made Roxas smile and laugh. Their almost insane laughter finally died down after a few more minutes, both of them gasping for breath and grasping some part of themselves.

Roxas opened his teary, cerulean eyes and wiped them with the back of his hand, and he looked over at Xigbar, whose chest rose and fell with each breath. He couldn't help but grin at what just occurred, and he sighed.

"I guess.. I made'cha smile... didn't I?" Xigbar chuckled in between breaths, looking over at Roxas, who smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you did, Xigbar." Roxas answered softly.

"You feel any better, kid?" Xigbar sat up, small pieces of grass covering his back and in his long hair, and Roxas let out a laugh when he saw, pointing.

"Yeah, a lot better actually. You have a little something on in your hair..."

"Ah, man." Xigbar quipped and he reached over his shoulder and brought his ponytail to rest on his shoulder, brushing the grass from his long hair.

"Xigbar, how long have you had your hair in a ponytail?"

"Eh, for the last like... eight or nine years or somethin'. I used to keep it really low as a kid then I just grew it out randomly." Xigbar shrugged.

"Well... how did you get those grey streaks?" Roxas eyes got wide for a moment: he had nearly forgotten about his earlier admission. Should he say anything else about what happened? No... maybe not... They were having a good time now; he shouldn't ruin it by bringing up what happened. Maybe he could talk to the man about it later. In his heart, he was certain there would be a later.

"Let's just say I tried to dye my hair as a kid and that dye turned silver," Xigbar laughed again, running a hand through his hair."My 'rents were not happy 'bout that."

"Oh, for some reason I just thought it was naturally graying."

"Haha, I ain't nearly that old, kid." Xigbar said, and they got quiet again, not looking at each other but the shimmering lake in front of them. He felt a familiar pang echo through his body, and he scowled; Roxas' laugh reminded him of Ventus'. Even more so than before, he could remember Ventus' laughs, Ventus' smiles, how Ventus loved to watch him paint when he could; everything except... no, he shouldn't think about it. All the worst memories of his life would come back. He didn't want to feel like he once did. He looked at Roxas and gave his classic grin that still had a smirk tugging on its edges, handing the kid's sketchbook back to him.

"Never seen a bird like that b'fore and I've lived 'ere all my life. Awesome drawin', kid. I'd would have liked to seen it."

"Thanks, Xigbar. It was strange, the bird sat right on my desk almost the entire time we talked online but it hopped away when I looked at it.."

"Birds are scary like that, kiddo. Never liked 'em much 'cause I got chased by some when I was a lil'dude. Like that one, though." Xigbar shook his head."Had a lot'a random accidents as a kid."

"I had a few bad moments like falling off the swings at school or tripping, but never anything like that." Roxas found himself chuckling; hadn't he laughed enough for one day? He barely minded. Despite earlier, he was having quite a good time... Maybe that good feeling he had that morning was totally right.

"Had that happen too." Xigbar nodded more to himself, looking to his right when he heard an abnormally loud croak from the forest."So... there anythin' ya wanna talk about?"

"Not really... Oh!-" Roxas flinched when he felt his pocket buzz and vibrate, and then a familiar melody hit his ears. He pulled his cellphone from his pocket, the tiny screen flashing and he looked at the screen. It was a text message from Sora and it looked urgent, seeing as the title was urgent, in all capital letters. "Just a minute..."

Roxas flipped his phone open and the message popped up.

**Rox, u may wanna come home. Mom & Dad r fighting. U w/ Xigbar?**

Roxas gave a deep frown. Really? His parents were fighting? What could they be fighting over besides his father's absence? He quickly began to type back.

_Yeah. What type fight?_

Xigbar could see the distressed expression upon Roxas' face, but he hesitated to ask.

The blond's phone gave a colorful tone again.

**Lots of yells and stuff. It's about u i think. Heard Xig's name in it.**

Roxas groaned; he didn't want to cut his time with Xigbar short... but he had too. He could barely believe that his parents were having a serious fight. Often they exchanged hushed words but never anything like what Sora was describing; and about him? Why on earth would they be fighting about him or Xigbar... Maybe they didn't like the fact that he was meeting with Xigbar. He slowly texted back, not exactly hoping he got a message back from his brother, but alas, he did.

_I don't want to leave yet, Sora... Think I should?_

**If u want. Just saying. U can take a bit more, I can stall for a bit...**

_I think I will.. I'll stay 5 more mins and then go. Tell them there was traffic._

**Gotcha.**

God, was he becoming a professional liar? Roxas turned to Xigbar.

"I'm going to have to leave in a few minutes," Roxas said with a disheartened face.

"What's up kid? Somethin' serious?" Xigbar asked and Roxas could see the concern in the man's eye even if his voice didn't betray any hint of the emotion.

"Yeah. My parents are arguing... Sora, my brother said they were yelling. I've never heard that happen before." Roxas slipped his phone back into his pocket, feeling a bit of guilt rise in his throat from the lie he told. He had to stop all this lying, it wasn't good.

"That ain't cool... Do ya need me to walk ya home or anythin'?"

"No, I should be fine, Xigbar. It just doesn't make any sense to me. They hardly ever fought and if they did, it was just whispering." Roxas shrugged as he got to his feet after he grabbed his sketchbook, dusting the back of his shorts and part of his shirt off.

"I get that, kid. Here..." Xigbar dug around in his pocket, searching for a piece of paper; he didn't find one. "Hey kid, here's my cell. Call me if you need somethin'."

Roxas opened his phone, inputing the number Xigbar told him. He gave a soft smile.

"Maybe we can talk tomorrow or something?"

"Sure can, kiddo." Roxas couldn't resist grinning when Xigbar gave him a smile. "Glad I could make ya smile too."

"I'm glad you did as well. I feel better now... but I still have to go home.." Roxas said softly."Talk to you later, Xigbar. And thanks, really."

"Alrighty. Hope all that stuff at yer house goes okay. And you're welcome."

Roxas waved briefly as he walked up to the tree line; he would have ran through the forest, but he didn't want to trip and fall or run into something. He definitely had to get home quickly if the argument was about him or Xigbar... _'Please let them not find out that I met with Xigbar today...' _Roxas thought to himself as he hurried through the forest, both watching his step and trying to go as fast as possible. He was so thankful to have a understanding brother, even if said twin was immature and usually wasn't serious; Sora had to be the greatest brother ever and he hoped he wouldn't get in trouble. But his parents yelling? Never in his seventeen years of life had his parents ever yelled at each other, even when tensions were high. Could his meeting with Xigbar possibly made him that angry? He could understand some basic concepts of what might have caused the argument, but none of them made sense; his father was usually quiet, and though his mother was passionate, she never yelled, even when she was angry. The blond huffed as he ducked under a low hanging branch, finally weaving his way through the forest and emerging at the park's entrance. He paused only to catch his breath before he began to sprint towards the circle of town and his house.

He passed a number of people as he ran, but the occasional running teenager or adult wasn't uncommon; there was always that one person rushing because they were late for school or work. Something was on his side as he successfully crossed the street and headed towards the familiar archway, not a car or tram stopping him fortunately. The artist's sneakers thumped along the white sidewalk, panting as cars passed him; he was nearly home... only a little farther to go and hopefully, he might have missed the fight itself and could just get a summary from Sora. Gasping for breath, he stopped just outside his home's trail of pavement leading towards to door. His eyes widened when he heard a particularly loud _'Fine!' _that sounded like his mother's voice, and the door to his home swung open with force.

Roxas gulped, watching with wide eyes as his mother Tifa stormed out of the house, anger completely evident on her face, long black hair swaying as she walked. He tried to be as calm as possible when his obviously furious mother stormed passed him, but she didn't even notice his presence as she passed him, heading down the sidewalk in the direction he came from.

What made his mother _that _mad?

The blond hurried up to his front door, stepping inside and slipping the door shut quietly. He didn't bother removing his shoes before he headed towards the stairs; he halted when he saw his father slumped over the kitchen table with a hand on his forehead. Roxas watched for a moment as his father sighed.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything..." Cloud whispered, more to himself than anything.

Said anything? What exactly had he said?

Roxas easily sneaked past his distracted father, tip toeing up the stairs with the intention of talking to his twin brother. He walked down the short hallway and stopped at Sora's closed door. As soon as he knocked softly, the door swung open and Roxas gasped as he was pulled in by Sora.

"Roxas, you missed the entire thing." Sora said immediately, closing his bedroom door before he gave Roxas a quick hug.

"What were Mom and Dad fighting about?" Roxas questioned as the brunette sat down on the blue and red plaid comforter on his bed.

"It was half about letting you meet Xigbar again and half how Dad works too much. It was crazy!" Sora exclaimed, raising his arms like a child.

"Why would they fight about that? Xigbar's not a bad guy." Roxas stated and he realized that he didn't feel guilty about defending... his friend.

"I dunno, Rox! It was pretty scary though.. " Sora sighed and looked down.

Roxas frowned at his twin's expression. Sora was hardly ever distressed or bothered by anything; he was the optimistic one of the two. He always had a bright and happy thing to say even in the worst of situations and was never without a smile, but he could understand how Sora must feel. They hardly ever heard yelling as a child and their parents never fought, until his father's work hours increased. Maybe he shouldn't have went out with Xigbar so he might have been at home with his twin...

"You're gonna see Xigbar again, aren't you?" Sora looked back up at his twin with a grin. He was feeling concerned about what happened, especially since the argument involved his brother, but he could put on a smile for the blond. He could tell there was something about Xigbar that Roxas liked, some quality or maybe how the man looked... even if the guy seemed weird to him, personally. Roxas had boyfriends before and the blond was happy, but they never seemed to truly click. Sora could tell they just weren't right for his twin, even if they got along. He might have made a joke about Roxas and Xigbar being more than friends, but he knew it wasn't the time.

"Let's try and keep quiet about Xigbar until Mom and Dad calm down," Roxas crossed his arms with a furrowed brow. "Yeah, I'll be seeing and talking to Xigbar again..."

"Okay and I won't make any jokes." Sora nodded, laying back on his bed.

"Hey Sora, do you why was Dad home so early? I would say he's usually not home on Wednesdays but he's hardly ever home on any day."

"I dunno. Maybe he got off early or something. I was watching TV downstairs and on the phone with Riku then Dad came in and talked with Mom then ended up asking Mom about you going to see Xigbar then it just got all crazy and stuff. I bet you had a good time with Xigbar."

Sora whispered the last part of his sentence.

"That sucks..." Roxas huffed, stepping closer to his twin."Yeah, I had a really good time. I wanna tell you about it but I'm not sure if I should since this fight happened.."

"It's cool, just tell me tomorrow at school. And I can see my Riku!" Sora said Riku in sing song voice, kicking his legs in the air.

Roxas couldn't resist grinning at how his brother said his boyfriend's name.

"I will. Well, I'm gonna try and get some food, Sora..." Roxas said as he moved towards the door, opening it. "Maybe draw some."

"Okay!" Sora sat up and got to his feet as his twin left his room, closing the door. The brunette moved to his desk, grabbing his metallic blue music player and his green headphones, slipping them over his ears before plugging them into the music player. He laid down on his bed, chocolate brown hair pressing against his colorful pillows. As a song filtered into his ears, he smiled and began to hum the melody.

He was really starting to wonder what Xigbar was like, why Roxas was willing to lie in order to meet that guy. He knew his brother had lied a few times in the past but it seemed like it was starting to be a regular thing, which was strange to him; Xigbar was certainly the strangest guy he ever heard a description about. Maybe it was because the man was an artist. Neither of them knew any artists except the strange blond girl who worked at a cafe, the woman who owned the art shop, their art teacher, and a few other kids at school but they didn't know their names. Sora began bobbing his head to the beat of the next song, smiling but his smile went away slightly when he thought about the fight.

He didn't want to say at the time, but most of the fight was their father yelling about how their mother let Roxas meet Xigbar again, even though he 'went' with the blond. Sora didn't exactly mind lying for his twin brother if it made him happy, but the fact that their parents were shouting about it disturbed him. He hadn't heard much about Xigbar but he guess the guy was a good person. Roxas was pretty cautious and didn't really get close to people unless he trusted them. It was strange to hear yelling. He wasn't used to hearing his mother's voice get loud and seeing his father get loud was odd since the blond was always quiet. Sora's hand rested on his stomach as he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to count the tiny bumps yet at the same time, he wasn't. He hated yelling even more then Roxas did.

Maybe one day he could meet Xigbar and find out why exactly Roxas liked him; he knew that his twin had some sort of... crush on the man, he could tell. He made jokes about Roxas going on dates, but never had the blond blush so hard at the mention of then word 'date' when it involved Xigbar; it was somewhat funny. But then again, it could just be him hoping his brother found someone he really liked.


End file.
